St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral Choir Master Ken Kovach

 On June 1, 1971 Ken Kovach became Choir Master at the historic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland Ohio. In his 50 (and counting) years he has witnessed many things in the Cathedral.

  One of which is being part of the filming of the movie The Deer Hunter, a 1978 American epic war drama film. Ken met and worked with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, writer/director Michael Cimino and others.

 Ken is an Ellis Island Medal Recipient and inductee in the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.  

He also sings with a Russian folk group called the Cuyahoga Cossacks. 

 In this video, Ken tells about the Choir Master role and some of these stories. And then he gives a brief example of his great singing voice – singing The Lord’s Prayer. 

St.Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Cleveland

 St. Theodosius Cathedral is the oldest Orthodox Christian Church in the State of Ohio. 

It is located in the historic Tremont area of the City of Cleveland. The historic cathedral was constructed between 1911-1912 and is considered one of the finest examples of Russian church architecture in the United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.

 The parish of St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral was organized by immigrant Russians living in Tremont in 1896. St. Theodosius Cathedral was the "Mother Church" for most of the Orthodox Christian churches in northeast Ohio today. 

The cathedral is perhaps best known for its appearance in the 1978 Best Picture winning film, The Deer Hunter with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep. 

 Ken Kovach has been Choir Master at St Theodosius for 50 years.  He gives us a tour of the inside of the Cathedral and shares some thoughts on the Eastern Orthodox Church. 

See more of the Cleveland Russian community 

ICC-WIN Summit on the State of the international community in Cleveland

For 12 years, the International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) hosts an annual Summit on the state of the international community in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. The 2019 topic was very important and timely: The 2020 Census and how to achieve a complete count.

Photos and video of the ICC-WIN Summit on the 2020 Census

Attendees of ICC-WIN 12th annual Summit - 2020 Census

2016 ICC-WIN Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration Welcome

ICC-WIN president Ken Kovach welcomed the crowd to the 7th annual Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration put on by the International Community Council Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) in Cleveland at the Global Center for Health Innovation ended.

He also introduced event Chairman Mehmet Gencer who thanked the committee members and then Nada Martinovic who chaired the performances.

Goodnight from Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration

ICC-WIN president Ken Kovach thanked the crowd and gave best wishes as the 7th annual Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration put on by the International Community Council Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) in Cleveland at the Global Center for Health Innovation ended.

Cleveland ethnic events

Cleveland Cultural Gardens 100th – Ken Kovach anthem

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation (CCGF) hosted a gala event at the Intercontinental Hotel to celebrate the Centennial of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. (The first Garden was established in April 1916.)  A packed house of 325 watched Master of Ceremonies Dick Russ introduce Ken Kovach who led the National Anthem.

Bliny contest at Cleveland Russian Maslenitsa

The Russian Cultural Garden, part of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, hosted their 2nd annual Maslenitsa celebration.  The 2016 event was at the Rockefeller Greenhouse indoors because of the weather.

 This is the best bliny (crepe) contest with judges Ken Kovach, Sheila Crawford, Debbie Hanson, Erika Puussaar and Bob Rotatori. http://www.clevelandpeople.com/groups/russian/russian.htm

Russian community in Cleveland

Donald Trump hair at international fashion show

At an international fashion show at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Harry Weller dressed as a composite of American fashions.  He wore a pin-striped suit to show business and entrepreneurship and a cowboy hat and he carried a pitchfork like in American Gothic.  When he removed his cowboy hat he had a Donald Trump wig on.

http://www.clevelandpeople.com/

Cleveland Cultural Gardens to celebrate 68th annual One World Day

For Immediate Release

March 2, 2015

Cleveland, OH – For each of the last 67 years, the Cleveland Cultural Gardens have celebrated One World Day in the Gardens.  August 23, 2015 will be the 68^th annual One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.  This annual event reflects the theme of the Gardens: “Peace through Mutual Understanding."

The annual One World Day is the highlight of the busy calendar of summer events in the Gardens and the one official occasion that all the Gardens get together to celebrate as one.  Events include a Parade of Flags, a naturalization ceremony, cultural performances, entertainment and more.

The 68th annual One World Day will be produced by two icons of the Cleveland international scene: Johnny Wu and Ken Kovach.

Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation president Sheila Murphy Crawford said “With the expertise and inspiring enthusiasm of our new producers, Ken Kovach and Johnny Wu, the 68th One World Day Celebration in our historic Cultural Gardens is bound to be a smashing success and definitely the place to be for the summer season.”

Ken Kovach is currently president of International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network and has served as board chairman of the International Services Center, leader of the International Folk Festival and many more ethnic projects.

Johnny Wu is an award-winning film-maker and one of the founders of the popular Cleveland Asian Festival.  He is a well-respected and driving force in the Asian community and beyond. 

“It is an honor to serve as co-director along with Mr. Kovach to make One World Day Celebration a fun experience for this year and moving forward to next which will be the centennial celebration,” said Mr. Wu.  “There is a lot of work to do, but we are confident that we can accomplish it all.  Most importantly, we want to create synergy within the Cultural Gardens and other organizations to promote the art, culture and diversity of what Cleveland is about!”

The 68^th annual One World Day on August 23, 2015 is the official kickoff of the Centennial celebration of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

About the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and One World Day

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are unique in the world.  Celebrating 100 years in 2016, the Gardens consist of 26 nationality gardens along East Blvd and MLK Blvd with several more in the planning and development stages.  The first One World Day was celebrated in 1947 and has continued each year since to bring all the nationalities that represent Cleveland together. 

Contact

Cleveland Cultural Gardens
President Sheila Murphy Crawford     sheilacrawford99@gmail.com

One World Day Committee Co-Chairs:

Dr. Richard Crepage               rich.crepage@gmail.com        440-812-1370 cell

Svetlana Stolyarova                realtorsvetlana@msn.com      216-548-4663 cell

One World Day Producers
Johnny Wu                              johnny@mdifilm.com               216-539-4634 office

Ken Kovach                             iccneo@gmail.com                  216-952-9501 cell

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Champion of Immigrants Award

Congressman Dennis Kucinich accepted the first annual Champion of Immigrants award at an event in Cleveland sponsored by the International Services Center.

As its first recipient of this annual award, the ISC selected Dennis J. Kucinich, former U.S. Congressman and Mayor of Cleveland, because of his ongoing dedication and service to immigrants both locally and on a national level. As the grandson of immigrants from Croatia and Ireland, Congressman Kucinich understood the diversity that makes up the ethnic neighborhoods of Cleveland, as well as those in the African American and Latino communities. Throughout his political career he “stood up for the people,” addressing their concerns and problems.

As a Member of Congress, his advocacy for immigrants and refugees helped many come and stay in this country. He also opened doors for bilateral trade with the countries represented by immigrants in Greater Cleveland. He has always put immigration to the forefront of his service to our community and country, and so richly deserves this honor.

Photos and video from the event