Ukrainian jazz duo ShockolaD is MacEwan’s next Gene Zwozdesky Artist in Residence.
The duo, Igor Hnydyn and Anastasija Litvinyuk, will hold the position for the 2025/26 academic year.
ShockolaD is among the top Ukrainian bands in world music, frequently performing at festivals, on major stages and in intimate clubs. Founded 20 years ago in Lviv, Ukraine, they produce music from different continents and cultures – Ukrainian folk to American jazz, blues and even modern electronica. Both are graduates and long-time faculty members of Lviv National Music Academy, MacEwan’s partner university in Ukraine.
Building on their guiding mission to preserve Ukrainian musical heritage while innovating through modern musical expression and cross-cultural collaboration, ShockolaD has titled their residency project A Creative Musical Journey Between Ukraine and the World. During their time at MacEwan, the duo will explore composition and improvisation through a synthesis of folk melodies, jazz and experimental soundscapes – realizing their vision for a creative laboratory where students, teachers and musicians collaborate to push artistic boundaries and develop new musical perspectives.
“We are excited to come to MacEwan to share our experience in composition, improvisation and creative music-making,” said Litvinyuk. “We believe students will gain valuable insights into cross-cultural composition and improvisation, strengthening their artistic development.”
ShockolaD visited MacEwan in February 2023 during the university’s Ukrainian Week as part of the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre’s (URDC) Visiting Scholar program.
“We led a master class with students during our visit and had a phenomenal experience,” said Hnydyn. “That kind of collaboration is truly what drives us as musicians. We are very thankful to be selected for this position.”
The Artist in Residence program was established in 2022 and is a collaboration between the URDC and the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications (FFAC). The program is funded by a donation from the Ukrainian Foundation for College Education (UFCE).
The program is named for the late Gene Zwozdesky, a former Edmonton MLA and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, who was also a community leader, musician and champion for the arts in Alberta. Zwozdesky was also a champion for MacEwan, supporting program development between faculty and students in Ukrainian universities and MacEwan’s business, nursing, sociology and music programs. While in office, he hosted MacEwan’s international visitors from Ukraine at the Alberta Legislature and facilitated the inclusion of the URDC director as a member of the province’s Advisory Council on Alberta-Ukraine Relations.