Today, November 24, the VIII International Festival-Competition of Young Performers (with orchestra) ‘Musical Leaf Fall’ has been solemnly opened in the concert hall of the school of arts. Its program was different. At first, there were competitive auditions for participants in a number of age categories and then holding several concert events.
It is going to be held for four days under the patronage of the Mayor Vadim Boichenko, with the assistance of the Cultural and Social Development Department of the City Council, the Mariupol Chamber Philharmonic Society and, in particular, the Renaissance Municipal Chamber Orchestra headed by Chief Conductor and Honored Art Worker Vasily Kryachiok.
This year, according to the results of previous selections, 45 best young musicians take part in the competition. The youngest is 8 years old, the oldest is 23. In addition to the participation of gifted children from Mariupol and Mangush, children from different parts of Ukraine - Lviv, Kiev, Dnipro, Krivoi Rog, Kharkov came to demonstrate their talents.
Among the musical instruments the participants will play, there is the violin, the cello, the piano, the flute, the clarinet as well as the guitar and the domra. There will be works of world-famous composers such as Vivaldi, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Grieg, Saint-Saens and others.
Diana Trima, the Director of the Department of Cultural and Social Development said in her welcoming speech: ‘It is pleasant that the attention to this competition grows every year, it expands its sphere, the best of the winners perform on the stage of the Lviv Philharmonic Society. We plan it will be not only Lviv, but also Kharkov, and in the future, perhaps, Kiev as well’.
According to the Deputy, the Chairman of the permanent commission of the City Council on education and science, spirituality, youth policy, family, culture and sports Vladimir Kursky, Mariupol is ‘ a gaining momentum’ in its cultural development, in particular, due to the consolidated work with artists and the exchange of professional experience, which is a source of inspiration for talented children, a valuable example and impetus for further development. He noted: ‘We have a good younger generation which will manifest itself in the future as highly professional musicians who will contribute to the development of our city and country. We are very pleased that Mariupol once again organizes a wonderful ‘Musical Leaf Fall’, for sure, in conjunction with the Lviv Philharmonic Society which always supports us, and, of course, with the participation of a competent and professional jury, whose members are known throughout the country. For our children, this is very important and necessary, it is an honor, it is always pleasant for residents when there is a development, especially in such a direction as classical music. Mariupol is not only an industrial city but also a city that develops a high classical culture’.
The jury of the festival-competition included the leading figures of classical musical art. The chairman of the joint jury of the competition is a national artist of Ukraine, a professor of the Lviv National Music Academy named after N. Lysenko Lidia Shutko, who, unfortunately, for health reasons could not come to Mariupol and for her the listening to the contestants was organized through the Internet.
There were the members the following representatives among the jury: an Honored Artist of Ukraine, a Professor of Lviv Franko National University, a composer Alexander Kozarenko; Nikolai Mykhaylenko, a professor at the Tchaikovsky Kyiv National Music Academy of Ukraine; the chief conductor of the symphony orchestra and an artistic director of the Luhansk Regional Philharmonic (Severodonetsk) Nazar Yatskiv; Ostap Shutko, a winner of international competitions, a president of the concert and production center ‘Individualis’; Yevgeny Lebedev, a Professor of Kharkiv National University of Arts named after Kotlyarevsky; a violin class teacher at the Mariupol College of Arts, an accompanist, a lead singer of the Renaissance chamber orchestra, Natalia Lyashenko; an artistic director of the festival-competition, a chief conductor of the Renaissance Chamber Orchestra, an associate professor of Perm State Technical University, an Honored Art Worker Vasily Kryachiok.
It should be noted that Alexander Kozarenko, November 25, will present to the audience a German piano recently brought to the Mariupol Chamber Philharmonic during a concert of chamber music.
On November 26 the walls of the Philharmonic will held a concert of the jury called ‘Vydatnі mittsi mystetstv’.
The festival will end on November 27 with the winners awarding ceremony and a gala concert of the winners.
It is noteworthy that for the second year the winners will be able to take part in the concert on the stage of the Lviv Regional Philharmonic Society accompanied by ‘Lviv Virtuosos’ Academic Chamber Orchestra. Thus, the contestants have a unique opportunity to play with two orchestras from different regions of Ukraine.
