Myroslav Skoryk - Early Life

Early Life

Myroslav Skoryk was born in western Ukraine's main city of Lviv, which at that time was under Polish control. His parents were both educated in Austria at the University of Vienna and both subsequently became educators. His father was a historian and an ethnographer, while his mother was an accomplished chemist. Although his parents did not have special musical training, his mother played piano and his father played the violin. Their son, young Myroslav, was exposed to music in the household from an early age and took a particular liking to it. Although his parents influenced Myroslav's early interest in music, no less important was the fact that in his family was a very famous diva of the 20th century — Myroslav Skoryk's great aunt was the famous Ukrainian soprano Solomiya Krushelnytska.

In 1939 Lviv was forcefully occupied by the Soviet Union as part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Under the new Soviet regime many Ukrainian intellectuals were persecuted, including the Skoryk family which lost a number of members. In 1940 Lviv was occupied by the Nazis. During the Nazi occupation Skoryk's family vented their opposition to the previous Soviet regime. With the return of Soviet forces towards the end of World War II, Skoryk's family were deported to Siberia, and this is where Myroslav grew up. Myroslav's older brother enlisted in the Galicia division ended up in Rimini at the end of the War and emigrated to Australia.