KOZUB TROPHY

Some time in the early 1930's, Peter Kozub and Anna Sklepowich were visiting their Aunts who happened to live next door to one another on Hallet Street in Point Douglas.  There was a party going on at Anna's aunt's place and Peter heard a lovely mezzo voice singing a song that he had known in his native Ukraine.  He walked into the house next door and with his beautiful lyric tenor started to harmonize.  That is how Peter met Anna, a daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, from Fraserwood, Manitoba.  Rumour has it, that even though neither could play it, they bought a piano before they owned a chesterfield.

Peter and Anna had five children: Koren, Karin, Annis, Tusia, and Ilena.  All started piano lessons at an early age and later each studied a stringed instrument as well as music theory.  Karin and Ilena also studied voice.  Music was a focus in the home.  For many years, customers who came into Kozy Korner store could hear one or two of the children practicing in the living quarters behind the family owned grocery store.  Peter and Anna sang in Ukrainian choirs and took part in musical drama.  The children were involved in Ukrainian choirs, orchestra and dancing.  They all played in school orchestras and most of them were in the Manitoba Youth Orchestra.  They sang in choirs, ensembles and often took part in the Winnipeg Music Festival as soloists and as part of choirs or orchestras.

In the 1950's the Festival started a Family class, one for vocal and one for instrumental.  The Kozub family entered both classes in the inaugural competition and continued to take part for a number of years.  They were invited to sing at the Final Concert several times.

Throughout the years some members of the family have taken music degrees and have been involved with many facets of the arts in Winnipeg and other parts of the country.  Their interest in music is all encompassing, classical, folk, pop, jazz, musical theatre, new music, etc.  Some have conducted and still conduct choirs and orchestras.  Annis, Tusia and Ilena (Zaramba) are professional musicians and continue to be part of the music scene.  Koren and Karin used to sing with the Winnipeg Folk Singers.  For many years Karin (Woods) sang in the Manitoba Opera chorus and Tusia and Koren (Kaminski) worked on the production side.  Tusia and Annis can often be heard playing in theatre productions.  Tusia does a lot of work in music direction for theatre and Annis sometimes plays with the RWB and WSO.  Ilena can be seen acting in various television productions and locally produced movies.  Annis and Ilena still sing in a folk music trio called Three Blind Mice.  Annis and Ilena are part of the Ron Paley big band, Annis on electric bass and Ilena on vocals.  Although Koren and Karin did not take the professional route they both remain actively involved in music, Koren as a violist and Karin as a vocalist.

Tusia is involved with the Artists in the Schools program and travels to various parts of the province with Judy Cook.  Tusia, Koren and Annis teach music and theory.

This is just a brief overview of some of the family musical history.  In 1983 Peter Kozub decided to present the Festival with the Kozub Trophy that is currently awarded annually for the most outstanding performance by a vocal goup, family and/or friends.