The Grand Prix of the national pop song competition at the festival in Grodno was awarded to Anatoly Pashchenko

June 6, Grodno /Elena Stasyukevich - BELTA/. The Grand Prix of the competition of performers of national pop songs of the VIII Republican Festival of National Cultures in Grodno was awarded to 73-year-old performer Anatoly Pashchenko, a representative of the Ukrainian association from Polotsk, a BELTA correspondent reports. Anatoly Pashchenko has twice become a laureate of the festival of national cultures, and this year he became its winner. The 73-year-old pensioner, a retired officer, a veteran of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, has been singing on stage for half a century. The soloist's repertoire mainly includes military-patriotic songs. Third-degree diplomas were awarded to Arina Aslanova (Mogilev) and Olga Zagadskaya (Minsk). Second place was shared by Vardui Farashan (VETKA district, Gomel region) and Dmitry Rudyk (Molodechno). First place was awarded to Niele Chervinskaya from Berezovsky district, Brest region. The laureates received festival diplomas and cash prizes. For the first time, the festival hosted a competition for children's national songs. Third place was taken by Anna Grazhevskaya from Drogichin, second place went to Rubina Yazepchuk from Kalinkovichi, and first place was awarded to the Russian girl from Gomel, Arina Konchits. According to the chairman of the jury, artistic director of the G. Tsitovich National Academic Folk Choir, People's Artist of Belarus Mikhail Drinevsky, the skill of the festival's ensembles and performers of national cultures is growing every year. For the final events of the festival in Grodno, about a thousand people were selected by the republican jury from more than 2.5 thousand participants of the regional tours – 74 ensembles and 122 individual performers. -0-