Sydir Vorobkevych (Ukrainian: Сидір Іванович Воробкевич, Romanian: Isidor Vorobchievici) (1836–1903) was a Ukrainian composer, writer, Eastern Orthodox priest, teacher, artist, and newspaper editor of Bukovina. He used following pen-names: Danylo Mlaka, Demko Makoviychuk, Morozenko, Semen Khrin, Isydor Vorobkevych, S.Volokh, and others.
Sydir Vorobkevych in Chernivtsi to the family of Orthodox priest and theology teacher. He was a brother to another Ukrainian poet Hryhoriy Vorobkevych.
The great-grandfather of Vorobkevych Skalsky Mlaka de Orobko ran away from Lithuania, while Vorobkevych's grandfather changed his name from Orobko to Vorobkevych. Later part of the former name Mlaka Vorobkevych used as his pseudo-name. His mother died early in 1840, while his father Ivan worked in the Chernivtsi gymnasium as a professor of religion and philosophy. However in 1845 his father died as well and Sydir along with his brother Hryhoriy were left orphans. Their grandfather the protopope of Kitsman Mykhailo Vorobkevych to them to live with him.
In his family the young Vorobkevyches learned the Ukrainian folklore and history. Soon Sydir enrolled in the Chernivtsi gymnasium and later the Theology Seminary in Chernivtsi graduating in 1861. Already in gymnasium he began to compose his first verses. After the seminary Vorobkevych was obtaining an internship as a priest throughout the neighboring villages. Later he enrolled into the musical courses of professor Franz Krenn in the Vienna Conservatory where in 1868 he took a test on the certified of singing instructor and choir regent. Already since 1867 Vorobkevych became a singing instructor in the Chernivtsi Theology Seminary and gymnasium. In 1875 he was a singing instructor at the Theological Department of the Chernivtsi University. During that time he already worked as a composer creating his own songs, psalms, choir works, operettas, and others.
His first poetic works Vorobkevych published in 1863 in the Halychanyn collection under the title Thoughts from Bukovina. In 1877 he released the first Bukovina almanac Ruthenian hut. Sydir Vorobkevych was one of the creators and chief-editors of the magazine Bokovinian dawn. In Chernivtsi University he headed the "Ruthenian Literary Association" and since 1876 - the student's union - "Soyuz". In 1887 Vorobkevych was the leader of the association "Ruthenian house public" in Chernivtsi.
Sydir Vorobkevych wrote in Ukrainian, Romanian, and German languages. Among his works are "Turkish recruits" (1865), poem "Nechai" (1868), dramas "Petro Sahaidachny" (1884), "Kochubei and Mazepa" (1891), "Lost son".
The most complete talent of Vorobkevych is depicted in his lyrical poems where the poet "spills the great riches of life's observations enlighten by a quiet sparkling of sincere, deep, human, and people-relating feeling" (Ivan Franko). The prominent characteristics of Vorobkevych's poetry are melody like and folklore related. After his travel to Kiev in 1874 he wrote choir works "Tsar-river our Dnieper" and "I was born upon Dnieper, therefore I am Cossack".