Orthodox Song Festival in Grodno to gather artists from eight countries

        The Orthodox Song Festival Kolozhski Blagovest in Grodno will gather artists from eight countries, the event organizers told reporters. The 12th festival will be held from 27 February to 2 March. By tradition it is organized in two rounds. The first one was held during Svyatki (the Holy Days) in January for parish choirs of Grodno Eparchy. The second round, with the participation of groups from other countries, is organized in Grodno with wide public participation. According to the organizers, groups from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Serbia, Romania and France will take part in the contest this time. All in all, the final round will feature about 45 companies including church choirs of eparchies and district centers, oblast cities, choirs of priests and seminaries, secular professional and amateur, children's church and secular groups.
      The festival will also include a number of cultural events: an exhibition from the Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion, a night of spiritual poetry and bard songs, cinema events, exhibitions of religious art works, the exhibition of photographs "Orthodox World." The program also provides for out-of-contest concerts: by the choir of students of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory (28 February), the choir of St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral from Paris and the choir of the old believers’ parishes in Siberia (1 March).