The draw for the participants of the VIII International Children's Competition will take place today in the festival city of Vitebsk

July 7, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. The draw for the participants of the VIII International Children's Competition "Vitebsk-2010" will be held today in the city on the Dvina River, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by the directorate of the XIX International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". The intriguing ceremony will take place in the International Press Center in the evening, as the young stars are still arriving in the festival city. A total of 22 representatives from 19 countries will participate in the children's competition this year, including for the first time from the Netherlands and Montenegro. Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, the founding countries of the festival, will each present two contestants, while the others will present one each. The right to represent Belarus in 2010 at the prestigious competition has been granted to Zlata Larchenko (11 years old), a soloist of the V.G. Muliavin National Center for Musical Arts, and Anna Zaitseva (9 years old), who have already demonstrated their creative abilities at various song festivals and competitions. The young talents will face their first challenge on July 8. On the stage of the "Vitebsk" Concert Hall, the artists will perform a pop song by a composer from their country in their native language. On July 9, participants will present a song of their own choice that best showcases their performing skills and artistic abilities. Based on the results of the two performances, an international jury, chaired by Nicolae Caragia, a member of the Union of Composers and Musicians of Romania and a renowned composer, will determine the winners of the Grand Prix, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes. Along with honorary diplomas and special prizes, they will receive $5,000, $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000, respectively. The names of the winners will be announced on July 10 at the gala concert. Last year, the Grand Prix of the "Vitebsk-2009" International Children's Music Competition was won by Maria from Romania. The first prize was awarded to Andranik Alexanyan from Ukraine, the second to Belarusian contestant Maria Novik, and the third was shared by Kamile (Lithuania) and Anel Karshygaeva (Kazakhstan). The competition is designed to popularize children's musical creativity, identify young talented performers, promote the creation of new modern works for children and youth, and cultivate the artistic taste of young artists. -0-