in Toronto. In 1977, he was featured in the Ukrainian Heritage Evening at the Forum in Ontario Place. In 1978 Leonid performed for a full season as a soloist with the Canadian Opera Company. He sang in Tchaikovsky's Joan of Arc, Verdi's Rigoletto, "Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier playing the Cardinal, Count Ceprano, and the police commissioner. In June 1979, the Canadian Ukrainian Opera Association with Leonid in the role of Kozak Maksim, produced the North American première of the Ukrainian opera Kupalo, under the direction of Volodymyr Kolesnyk. There were many concert tours, including an invitation to Festival Canada on Canada Day, The Show on the Hill, which was telecast nationally by CBC TV from the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. 1980s In the year 1980, Leonid was the featured artist at the final Ukrainian Festival in Vancouver at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Eremenko's cantata Conquerors of the Prairie's, a collaboration of the Dnipro Choir in Edmonton and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, called on his talents in 1982. A record Ukraine is Rising which featured Leonid and other soloists was produced by Boris Dunayevsky-Dniprovy. A second one entitled You Are Alive Ukraine! would be produced later by Dnipro Art Production. 1981 marked the premiere of Kupalo in Edmonton. The opera Zaporozhets za Dunayem which had been staged in Toronto and Hamilton was followed by an appearance in Carnegie Hall, also in 1981. This was an opera concert with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Ukrainian Canadian Opera Chorus. There were opera concerts in Ottawa and Montreal. The following article raved about Leonid, and I quote, The two basses were outstanding. Scenes and duets involving the bass Karas are of interest. The most outstanding was the bass Leonid Skirko as Karas. His vocal performance matched his acting. Kupalo, which in 1979 had been staged in Toronto was now performed in Edmonton in 1981 at the Jubilee Auditorium, and the role of Kozak Maxim once again brought him acclaim. This opera was produced by the Ukrainian Dnipro Ensemble of Edmonton. Also in 1981, there was a symphony concert at Hamilton Place with the McMaster Symphony Orchestra and the Mohawk College Singers featuring Leonid in the coronation scene of Boris Godunov. There were two opera concerts in Ottawa and Montreal. 1982 marked the 50th anniversary concert of the Ukrainian National Federation in Edmonton, and in 1982 and 1983, duet concerts were performed with Hanna Kolesnyk,