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No Grand Prix at Mogilev festival of church music this year

MOGILEV, 27 June (BelTA) – The jury panel of the 20th International Festival of Church Music “Mighty God” decided not to award the Grand Prix in the competition program among choirs and vocal groups this year, BelTA learned from the chairman of the jury panel, honored arts worker of Russia Professor Stanislav Kalinin.

"The level of the forum is very high. We want it to remain so. Therefore the jury decided not to award the Grand Prix this year,” Stanislav Kalinin said.

The first degree diplomas were awarded to the choir of the Mozyr State College of Music (Gomel Oblast), the female choir of the college of the Ippolitov-Ivanov Music and Pedagogical Institute (Minsk). Second place was shared by the Astrakhan State Philharmonic Chamber Choir (Russia), Visson students’ chorus of the Belarusian State Academy of Music. The third place diplomas went to Chamber Choir "Transfiguration" of the Church of the Nativity of the Christ of Borisov (Minsk Oblast), Gomel Regional Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and the concert choir of the children’s school of arts from Svetlogorsk (Gomel Oblast).

"We cannot say that the participants have amazed us or disappointed. There was this good overall level. We were particularly pleased with students’ choirs while professional choirs could do better,” Stanislav Kalinin said.

He expressed confidence that year after year the festival will have many more new participants. "I am glad that the festival brings together people from different countries. Here we have the international unity, this choir brotherhood that develops and thrives," he stated.

Attending the festival were over one thousand representatives from 15 countries: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Nigeria, the United States, Italy, Tajikistan and Moldova. During the three-day festival the Mogilev audience were able to listen to the concerts by the State Chamber Orchestra "Virtuosos of Moscow" and scholarship holders of the Special Fund for Support of Talented Youth of the President of the Republic of Belarus and Vladimir Spivakov’s Special Fund; Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir of the Mogilev City Orchestra conducted by Venezuelan conductor Gerardo Estrada; the Moscow State Academic Chamber Choir conduced by Vladimir Minin; People's Artist of Tajikistan Oyat Sabzalieva and Christian choirs from the United States, Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania and Italy.

The first festival of church music in Mogilev was held on 11-17 July 1993, on the initiative of the Rector of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (now Bishop of Vitebsk) Vladislav Blin. The name of the festival comes from the first line of the work of Belarusian composer Nikolai Rovensky, lyrics by Natalia Arsenyeva "Mighty God". This prayer has become a spiritual hymn of the Christians of Belarus and is performed at various religious events.