Sokalskyj worked as a professional teacher, pianist and conductor. Hence, he worked as a répétiteur at the Kharkiv Opera and conducted concerts of his works. From 1882, he worked as a correspondent for a Kharkiv newspaper, which also published his "Музыкальные заметки" (musical notes). His works were performed at meetings of the Kharkov branch of the Russian Musical Society, and the opera "Repka" was performed in Poltave, Smolensk, Tbilisi and Kharkov. In 1902, he was a prosecutor at the Ust-Medveditsa District Court. In the autumn of 1911, he became the chairman of the Vologda District Court. In 1918, he organized in Vologda with his daughter Lydia and his son-in-law Ilya Ginezinsky several lectures and concerts devoted to the works of Beethoven and Grieg. In 1919, he took a vacation in Sevastopol and fell ill with typhoid fever. He died there and was buried in the city cemetery.
His works include several symphonies, including the ''Symphony in G-minor'' (1892), with which he continued the tradition of the 19th-century Ukrainian symphony. He also wrote the children's opera "Ripka" in 1900, based on a Ukrainian folktale. In addition, he composed choral music, piano pieces and other works.
