Photo by MICHAEL DOHERTY Violinist Taras Bohach, a former member of the Leopolis Symphony in the Ukraine, at his home in Washington Mills. Bohach now performs with Utica Symphony Orchestra.

'Every conductor moves the same'

A former member of the Leopolis Symphony in the Ukraine, violinist Taras Bohach came to the United States, and New Hartford, by chance.

“It was a dream of my father to play the violin, and I enjoyed it,” the 33-year-old said.

In 1999, Bohach went to New York City to begin a U.S. tour with the symphony, but the tour fell through. Because he had friends in Utica, Bohach traveled north and was introduced to Utica Symphony Music Director Charles Schneider, who asked him to audition for the orchestra.

Bohach can make more money in Utica than in the Ukraine, so he asked his wife, Irena, to join him. Their life now is very different, he said, and he misses his friends and family back home. But as he adapted to the United States, music has remained a constant in his life.

“All songs are the same — Mozart, Beethoven — in every country for every musician,” said Bohach, “Every conductor moves the same.”

Dancer holds onto heritage

Dancing with The Little Poland Dance Ensemble has helped Ewa Szymanska, 18, preserve her heritage since she came to the United States from Poland in 1993.

“My mother always wanted me to understand the culture here, but didn’t want me to forget where I came from,” said the 18-year-old Thomas R. Proctor Senior High School senior, who moved for the opportunity to get a better education.

The dance ensemble, which was created in 2000 by Polish immigrants Elzbieta and Rafal Pawlowski, consists of 28 children and young adults — ages 4 to 21 — and performs traditional Polish folk dances throughout New York state.

“(The ensemble) lets me combine my two favorite things,” Szymanska said. “One, learning more about my culture and two, dancing.”