Main points
- On March 28, a concert in memory of Stepan Giga was held at the Kyiv Palace of Sports, at which Artem Pivovarov performed the song “Yavoryna”.
- The song “Yavoryna” was created based on a poem by Stepan Halyabarda, dedicated to Nazariy Yaremchuk, and was included in Gigi's album “My Friends” in 1995.
Artem Pivovarov, Stepan Giga / Collage of Channel 24
A concert in memory of Stepan Petrovich Giga was held at the Kyiv Palace of Sports on March 28. Famous Ukrainian artists gathered to perform the legendary songs of the People's Artist of Ukraine.
Among the invited guests was Artem Pivovarov, who performed “Yavoryna.” The video was published on his fan page on Instagram.
The song “Yavoryna” was included in Stepan Giga's debut album “My Friends” (1995). The story of the composition's creation began with the fact that the poet-songwriter Stepan Halyabarda wrote the poem “In the Garden of Eden”, which he dedicated to Nazariy Yaremchuk.
The singer died on June 30, 1995, at the age of 43 from stomach cancer. Halyabarda was unable to attend Yaremchuk's funeral, but watched the farewell on TV.
I wrote the text for “Yavoryna” right there, in half an hour. Then I published it and showed it to composers and performers, but no one could take it on.
– the poet told the publication “Saturday”.
Five years later, Haliabarda met with Giga, showed him the work, and he agreed to work on it.
“Yavoryna” is a special song in Stepan Petrovych's repertoire. It was sung at the funeral of the People's Artist of Ukraine. Now the composition was performed by Artem Pivovarov at a memorial concert.
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Network reaction
- “Goosebumps on the skin. The power of the voice, this timbre and the song that the performer has lived. I admire it.”
- “How powerful. Artem's voice is the force that holds Ukraine together.”
- “A magnificent concert. Artem sang very well. Stepan Petrovich rejoices in heaven that his children and young singers continue to sing his fantastically beautiful and soulful songs.”
- “God, what a performance. To the ants.”
The reaction of the network to the performance of “Yavoryna” by Artem Pivovarov / Screenshot from Instagram
The reaction of the network to the performance of “Yavoryna” by Artem Pivovarov / Screenshot from Instagram
What is known about the death of Stepan Giga?
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Stepan Giga died on December 12, 2025. He was 66 years old.
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The cause of the singer's death was diabetes and an infection that his body could not cope with. Gigi's children, Kvitoslav and Stepan, were by their father's side until the last moment.
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A funeral took place on December 15. People gathered at the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv to say goodbye to Stepan Petrovich.
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Giga was buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said that this was the artist's last will.