Stephen M. Wolownik

Stephen M. Wolownik (July 22, 1946) - (May 18, 2000) was a pioneer in the Russian and Eastern European music community in the United States. He was a co-founder of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America.

Biography

Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Wolownik grew up with Russian and Ukrainian music. As a child and young adult, he participated in the balalaika orchestra at St. Nicholas's Russian Orthodox Church in Philadelphia under the tutelage of Paul Kauriga of the Kovriga Balalaika Orchestra. He also played under Anastasia Karnow.

Related Topics:
Chester, Pennsylvania - Ukrainian - Balalaika - Orchestra - Russian Orthodox Church - Philadelphia

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Wolownik received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he founded the University of Pennsylvania Balalaika Orchestra (commonly known as "PennBO" or "Penn Balalaika Orchestra") in 1964. PennBO was unique in that, with the exception of the Tamburitzans at Pittsburgh's Duquesne University, it was the only university-level music ensemble dedicated solely to Eastern European music.

Related Topics:
Bachelor's degree - University of Pennsylvania - 1964 - Tamburitzans - Pittsburgh's - Duquesne University

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He later moved to Los Angeles, where he received a master's degree in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles. While there, he founded another balalaika group, the Odessa Balalaikas.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles - Master's degree - Ethnomusicology - University of California, Los Angeles - Odessa

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After returning to Philadelphia from Los Angeles, Wolownik received a master's degree in library science from Drexel University, whereupon he worked as a reference librarian at the Lippincott Library of the Wharton School. He also co-founded two more balalaika ensembles, The Balalaika Russe and The Gypsy Balalaikas, the members of both of which were from the Philadelphia area.

Related Topics:
Wharton School - Balalaika

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Wolownik also continued directing the Penn Balalaika Orchestra until its demise in 1996.

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He later moved to Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where he was an assistant library director at the Mount Laurel Public Library until his death in 2000. Wolownik is buried in Lawn Croft Cemetery in Linwood, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of his boyhood home.

Related Topics:
Mount Laurel, New Jersey - Linwood, Pennsylvania

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