Vladyslav Gorai | |
|---|---|
| Владислав Горай | |
.jpg) Vladyslav Gorai,c. 2005 | |
| Born | (1967-08-05)5 August 1967 Malyn, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukrainian SSR |
| Died | 8 June 2025(2025-06-08) (aged 57) Sumy Oblast, Ukraine |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Operatic tenor |
| Organizations | Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre |
| Awards | Merited Artist of Ukraine |
Vladyslav Vikentiiovych Gorai orHoray[1] (Ukrainian:Владислав Вікентійович Горай; 5 August 1967 – 8 June 2025) was a Ukrainian operatic tenor. Based at theOdesa Opera and Ballet Theatre, he appeared internationally. He portrayed the Duke in Verdi'sRigoletto and Rodolfo in Puccini'sLa bohème, but also performed contemporary opera such as the world premiere of Oleksandr Rodin'sKateryna in Odesa in September 2022.
Vladyslav Gorai was born in 5 August 1967 inMalyn, Zhytomyr Oblast, into a family of professional musicians.[2][3][4] He grew up with a younger brother.[2] He learned to play the piano at the Children's School of Arts and attended the Lyceum No. 3 in Malyn.[2] In 1988, he graduated with honors from the faculty of music and pedagogy of theMykhailo Kotsiubynskyi Vinnytsia State Pedagogical Institute[5] in piano, voice and conducting.[6] He then studied further at theOdesa Conservatory withMykola Ohrenych [uk].[3][6]
In 1993, he became a soloist with the opera company of theOdesa Opera and Ballet Theatre,[7] first as a baritone, but changing to a tenor. He performed more than fifty roles including lead roles such as Count Almaviva in Rossini'sThe Barber of Seville, Edgardo in Donizetti'sLucia di Lammermoor, Verdi's Duke inRigoletto and Alfredo inLa traviata, and Rodolfo in Puccini'sLa bohème.[6] He performed with "impeccable voice control and a deep understanding of the lyrics and character of the roles".[3] From 2000 to 2003, he worked at the State Theater of Opera and Ballet inConstanța (Romania).[6] He took part in the world premiere of Oleksandr Rodin'sKateryna on 17 September 2022,[8] portraying theLirnyk.[6] The premiere, scheduled for March 2022, had to be postponed due to attacks which caused the necessity to build a bomb shelter. Gorai said when preparing the premiere that performing was good for both the musicians and the audience, and expressed: ""This pain that's settled in our souls is made up of energy that just tortures us. And thank God there's a way for us to recycle that energy into art — otherwise it would eat us from the inside."[8]
Gorai appeared internationally, at theTeatro Monumental in Madrid in 2002,[6] as the Duke inRigoletto at theTeatro Politeama, Lecce [it] in 2016,[9] at theParis Opera, the Accademia di Musica in Rome, theOpéra National de Lyon, theStrasbourg Opera House, theZurich Opera House, and theRomanian National Opera, Bucharest.[3] He performed inAmsterdam,[7] at theRoyal Albert Hall in London,[1][3] in Brussels, Lisbon, Chișinău and Almaty, among others.[6] In 2014 and again in 2024, he appeared inBoca Raton, Florida, to recreate, with Felix Livshitz, Alexander Gunko and the Spanish River Orchestra, repertoire of the Three Jerusalem Tenors of Yiddish and crossover music.[10] The three tenors also toured Canada, Italy, Macau and Israel.[11]
Gorai was married; the couple had two sons.[2]
With the large-scale Russian invasion, his wife and the small children left the city, and he and a friend from the orchestra wanted to enlist in theArmed Forces of Ukraine. They were told that there were not enough guns. Gorai joined a volunteer organisation and worked as a driver, transporting people and goods such as camouflage nets and humanitarian aid.[8] He performed at charity concerts in Ukraine and abroad, and creating charitable performances; he donated the funds raised to the Armed Forces.[2] Initial reports indicated that Gorai had died on 8 June 2025 while attempting to rescue civilians during a volunteerrelief mission inSumy Oblast at a time of heavy fighting, includingmissile anddrone attacks, in theRusso-Ukrainian War.[3][5][7][12]Suspilne, the national public broadcaster of Ukraine, later reported that Gorai had died while volunteering to delivermateriel to the front lines in support of the armed forces. Soloist Dmytro Pavlyuk, Gorai's friend and colleague, told Suspilne that Gorai had been quietly volunteering since the beginning of the war.[13] In noting his death,Deutschlandradio said Gorai was considered one of the best opera singers in Ukraine.[7]
On 12 June 2025, Gorai was bid farewell at the Odesa Opera House to applause and cries of "Bravo". The following day he was honoured at the Malyn City Centre for Culture and Leisure, where he first performed the Malyn Anthem. Gorai was buried inRiznia [uk],Korosten Raion.[2]
Vladyslav Gorai died on June 8 in the Sumy region during a volunteer mission to deliver another vehicle for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.