The Novopolotsk competition of young performers "Khali-Halo" will receive international status

The republican contest of young pop singers "Khali-Halo" will receive international status next year. And last weekend, it gathered 45 participants from different parts of Belarus in Novopolotsk, who captivated the audience with their bright talent, powerful energy, and inimitable charisma.

The contest, designed to discover and support young talents, was not created by chance in the youngest city in our country. Vladimir Terentyev, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, who came to congratulate the participants of the celebration, called this fact symbolic. He emphasized that the decision to revive the children's creativity festival after a break was far-sighted and correct. After all, "Khali-Halo" discovers brilliant performers; its laureates at one time included Pyotr Elfimov and Natalia Podolskaya, and recently Valeria Gribusova, who won the first prize at the XXIV "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" Arts Festival.

— The Novopolotsk contest is distinguished by its unforgettable atmosphere. Everything here is very warm, soulful, and family-like. There are always worthy contenders for the awards, — shared her impressions Anastasia Filippova from Miory, the winner of "Khali-Halo-2011," who also received a ticket to further creative life in Novopolotsk. Now she is studying at the academy of music, successfully performs concerts, teaches at a pop studio, and plans to bring her own students to "Khali-Halo" next year.

Nastya and other laureates of previous years were part of the children's jury and performed at the opening ceremony, setting a high bar for the participants of "Khali-Halo-2015." In addition, singer Zhanet and Honored Artist, composer Oleg Eliseenkov gave a master class to young vocalists.

The creative competition was held in three age categories. The greatest competition unfolded in the middle group aged 12 to 14, where the winners were determined by a literally half-point difference.

The awards confirmed the traditionally strong level of the Mogilev and Minsk performing schools. Among the laureates are also representatives from Zhlobin, Brest, and Slutsk. Young performers from our region have not yet managed to win the main prize of the competition. Valeria Ezerskaya from Novopolotsk took second place in the junior age category this year, and Yana Barinova from Lepel took second place in the senior group.

The winners received mobile phones, tablets, and laptops from the enterprises and organizations of the oil city, which acted as sponsors of the event. The official partner of the competition, Mobile TeleSystems, also provided prizes for the vocalists.

The main prize was a professional microphone purchased with funds from Naftan OJSC. It, along with the Grand Prix of "Khali-Halo-2015," was taken to the republic's capital by 12-year-old Milana Redchenko, a student of Vasily Senkov's pop music workshop. The talented girl's grandmother, Natalia Kiseleva, is a professional musician and personally oversees her beloved granddaughter's creative development. Milana has previously won competitions in Paris, Prague, St. Petersburg, and Molodechno. Her achievements are based not only on natural talent but also on hard work and a desire to improve her abilities.

These are the factors that the jury chairperson, Svetlana Statsenko, Honored Cultural Worker of the Republic of Belarus, Artistic Director of the V. Mulyavin Center for Training Talented Youth, and Artistic Director of the "I Sing!" project on ONT channel, named as decisive on the path to success.

– Never give up, always move forward; what didn't work out today will definitely work out tomorrow. Remember that the road to stardom is difficult and thorny, and whoever chooses it must be strong and believe in themselves, – Svetlana Adamovna advised the young contestants.

Dmitry Demidov, Chairman of the Novopolotsk City Executive Committee, wished the children bright victories and a bright creative future. For his support in organizing the competition, he expressed his gratitude to the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Natalia Kochanova, the Ministry of Culture, the Regional Executive Committee, thanked the jury and sponsors, and also promised that "Khali-Halo" would develop and reach new heights.

The city leader's optimism was shared by Vasily Chernik, Deputy Minister of Culture. He noted that the Novopolotsk competition is becoming increasingly interesting, diverse, and attractive, playing an important role in the aesthetic education of the younger generation. In general, Vasily Mechislavovich summarized, it is time for Novopolotsk to reach a new level, and therefore it has been decided to give "Khali-Halo-2016" an international status.

Larisa Malashenya, photos by the author. "Vitebskiye Vesti".