Ukrainian opera tenor and volunteer killed in Sumy Oblast

Vladyslav Horai, a renowned tenor and soloist of the Odesa National Opera, was killed in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast while on a volunteer mission, the opera house reported on June 8.

"A tragic loss has shaken the entire Ukrainian arts community," the Odesa National Opera wrote in a Facebook post. "Today, June 8, while carrying out his volunteer mission in the Sumy region, the soloist of the Odesa National Opera, a world-class tenor, volunteer, father, a man of great heart, and Honored Artist of Ukraine — Vladyslav Horai — was killed."

Horai was widely known both in Ukraine and internationally for his voice and stage presence, according to his colleagues. "Vladyslav was not just a talent of the stage — he was an example of strength, dignity, and kindness in life," the opera house said.

Horai had been a member of the opera troupe at the Odesa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet since 1993. He was a laureate of the National Chamber Music Competition in Khmelnytskyi and the International Antonín Dvořák Vocal Competition in Karlovy Vary, Czechia, and was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine in 2013.

"Even in the darkest of times, he never stood aside — he helped, volunteered, supported. The Odesa National Opera is in mourning. The stage on which he lived will sound different without him."