No Grand Prix at Mogilev festival of church music this year

The jury panel of the 20th International Festival of Church Music “Mighty God” decided not to award the Grand Prix in the competition program among choirs and vocal groups this year, chairman of the jury panel, honored arts worker of Russia Professor Stanislav Kalinin told media. "The level of the forum is very high. We want it to remain so. Therefore the jury decided not to award the Grand Prix this year,” Stanislav Kalinin said. "We cannot say that the participants have amazed us or disappointed. There was this good overall level. We were particularly pleased with students’ choirs while professional choirs could do better,” Stanislav Kalinin said. He expressed confidence that year after year the festival will have many more new participants. Attending the festival were over one thousand representatives from 15 countries. The first festival of church music in Mogilev was held on 11-17 July 1993, on the initiative of the Rector of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (now Bishop of Vitebsk) Vladislav Blin. The name of the festival comes from the first line of the work of Belarusian composer Nikolai Rovensky, lyrics by Natalia Arsenyeva "Mighty God". This prayer has become a spiritual hymn of the Christians of Belarus and is performed at various religious events.