Vitebsk once again opens its arms to "Slavianski Bazaar"

July 9, Vitebsk /BELTA correspondent/. For the 19th time, Vitebsk is donning the mantle of the capital of arts and opening its arms to the international festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". The grand opening ceremony of the festival will take place today on the stage of the Summer Amphitheatre, a BELTA correspondent reports. About 5,000 guests from 34 countries will take part in the XIX forum of arts. For the first time, representatives from Montenegro, Panama, and Cuba will attend the festival. The "Slavianski Bazaar" program includes 70 creative projects, for which 16 concert and creative venues in the city will be used. 19 concerts will be held on the main stage alone – in the Summer Amphitheatre. For the first time, the renovated Victory Square will host two concerts at once. The XIX International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" will retain its traditional structure and once again offer meetings with masters of arts from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, adult and children's song contests, as well as the usual film and theater programs. The grand opening concert stands out with its stellar and international lineup: Dmitry Hvorostovsky, Nikolai Baskov, Larisa Dolina, Yuri Antonov, Stas Mikhailov, Elena Vaenga, Inna Afanasieva, ensembles "Pesniary" and "Syabry", Taisiya Povaliy, Thomas Anders, Chani & Nevagrin, Helena Vondrackova. Diplomas will be awarded to the laureates of the Union State Prize in Literature and Art for 2009-2010 at the festival's opening ceremony in the Summer Amphitheatre. These include the creative team of People's Architect of Russia Yuri Grigoriev, Belarusian sculptors Lev Gumilevsky and Sergey Gumilevsky, Russian sculptors Yuri Orekhov and Grigory Orekhov, as well as the creative team of People's Artists of the USSR Alexei Tkachev and Sergey Tkachev. Among the laureates is People's Artist of the Republic of Belarus Leonid Shchemelev. The festival's concert posters also feature the names of Alexander Serov, Valeria, Dima Bilan, Toto Cutugno. The festival organizers have not forgotten about the discerning audience. For musical gourmets, Nino Katamadze and the band "Insight", Sergey Skripka's jazz cabaret, and the cabaret band "Silver Wedding" will perform. Connoisseurs of vocal art will undoubtedly appreciate the solo concerts of Dmitry Hvorostovsky and Sergey Zakharov. Theatergoers have also not been left without a gift. The Moscow Theater on the South-West and the St. Petersburg State Youth Theater on Fontanka will bring their performances for them. And Svetlana Kryuchkova will await her fans at a creative evening. The film program of "Slavianski Bazaar" includes Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian films. The renowned actress Vera Glagoleva will bring her directorial work, the film "One War," to Vitebsk. The Union State Day at "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" is on July 10. On this day, a traditional meeting between the State Secretary of the Union State, Pavel Borodin, and Great Patriotic War veterans will take place. A ceremony of laying flowers at the Eternal Flame will be held. An exhibition of works by Leonid Shchemelev, "To My Compatriots," will open at the Vitebsk Art Museum. The concert "Two Sisters," featuring songs by Kim Breitburg to the lyrics of Belarusian and Russian poets, is dedicated to the Union State Day. Special diplomas and prizes from the Standing Committee of the Union State "For Creative Implementation of the Ideas of Friendship of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia" will be awarded to participants of the festival's creative programs. The adult and children's pop song contests will add intrigue to the festival's hustle and bustle. 19 contestants from 19 countries will participate in the international competition for young performers, with a representative from Cuba joining the fight for the Grand Prix for the first time. Belarus will be represented at the international pop song performers' competition "Vitebsk-2010" by Denis Vershchenko, the Grand Prix winner of the international stage art festival-competition "Na Vysokoy Volne-2009" (RF). Russia will be represented by Anna Malysheva, recognized as the best at the All-Russian Pop Art Festival-Competition named after B. Brunov. The jury of the adult competition will be headed by the star of Ukrainian pop music, Taisiya Povaliy, the Grand Prix winner of the "Vitebsk-1993" young performers' competition at "Slavianski Bazaar." The children's song contest, held for the 8th time, will feature 22 participants from 19 countries, including young artists from the Netherlands and Montenegro for the first time. Zlata Larchenko and Anya Zaitseva will perform for Belarus. About 900 artisans and artists will participate in the City of Masters at "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk." Tchaikovsky Street, leading to the "Dvina" center, and the areas near the "Vitebsk" concert hall will be traditional venues for folk masters and artisans. The recently pedestrianized ancient streets of Tolstoy and Suvorov will turn into an open-air salon, where about 100 artists will exhibit their creations. For those who cannot attend the festival, the National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus, the main broadcaster of the festival, will provide broadcasts throughout the festive days. Starting from July 9, viewers of Channel One and the "Lad" TV channel will be able to watch a large part of all the festival concerts. It is expected that about 400 journalists, representatives of print and electronic media from various countries, will cover "Slavianski Bazaar." Br2.5 billion from the President's reserve fund and almost 25 million Russian rubles from the Union State funds have been allocated for the organization and holding of "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" in 2010. This year, Russia's share in the financing is 9.3 million Russian rubles, and Belarus's share is 15 million 596 thousand Russian rubles. The grand closing ceremony of the festival will take place on July 15.