12 XII edition of the International Festival of East Slavic Carols in Terespol was organized on 3 and 4 February 2007, traditionally in the hall of the Municipal Cultural Centre.
Ryszard Korneluk, director of the MOK, who was the first to speak, stated that Terespol Festival protects from oblivion multicultural and multi-faith southern Podlasie. It is also pleasing that more and more young people are participating in the Festival. He was supported by the mayor Jacek Danieluk, who confidently confessed that thanks to the Festival we have the opportunity to get closer to each other, learning about the tradition of the Eastern and Western Churches. Archbishop Abel grateful to the organizers for the efforts so far, noted:
We are joined by the audience, there are many local governments in the audience headed by the mayor of Bialskopodlaskie, many guests from Lublin and Warsaw. This is an excellent promotion of Terespol. I am pleased to announce that the Festival is already going beyond this city. Yesterday (February 2) lublin choirs from Ukraine and Belarus were caroling in the congress centre of the Agricultural Academy in Lublin. Tomorrow (February 4) several teams will perform in Zamosc Sponsors are also arriving and it’s getting bigger and bigger. I bless everyone, and I declare the Twelfth International Festival of East Slavic Carols open.
Saturday – Day I
- The hearings on the first day were started by the Children’s Choir of the Orthodox Parish in Biala Podlaska under the direction of Monica Goscik. There’s still a lot of work ahead of this band, because children need a lot of efforts to teach them to sing and set their voices correctly. The main thing, however, that they performed and want to continue singing.
- The female choir of the Orthodox parish in Horostyca under the direction of Agnieszka Lotysz fared much better. The 11-person band, well voiced, has already shown many times that it can sing.
- From the edge of the Bialowieza Forest, specifically from the small town of Orzeszkowo came to Terespol “Niezabudki” – a female group from the local Orthodox parish. The band sounded good and looked even better, dressed in folk Belarusian costumes.
- Great progress was made by the Choir of the Orthodox Parish in Koden, performed on the first day. It was seen and heard that the conductor Piotr Czeberkus feels the music and can despite not the largest cast, set the choir by voice.
- The Choir of the Brotherhood of Orthodox Youth under the direction of pr. Marcin Goscik, who appeared as another, did not stand out anything special, and yet he sang the audience award. It can be assumed that during the vote, there were an exceptionally many young local inhabitants in the audience.
- The attention of the male audience attracted choristers from the Brest band “Terra”, which was another performer. They sang very correctly, and the loud and clean voice of a charming soloist completed the pleasant experience.
- No smaller impressions were provided by the audience chorus “Fermata” of teachers from Lublin, who performed at the festival once again. It seems that in Terespol singing and caroling in Ukrainian does not cause them problems. This is certainly a great success to conductor Zdzislaw Ohar.
- On the first day of the festival, the choir of the Orthodox military chapel in Warsaw also presented great. of Priest The Martyr Basil Martysz. Young conductor Lukasz Godun was able to set up choristers. The four-voice sound of the choir was most appealing to the band managers, who voted in secret to award them the Grand Prix.
- After this excellent group, the better-sounding Choir of the Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection in Brest, under the direction of Lilia Krac, performed even better. This excellent conductor, together with professional-sounding choristers, moved the audience to an extraterrestrial world for a few minutes. According to many listeners, this choir should have gotten the main prize.
- After such a spiritual feast, it was extremely difficult to perform further choirs: the Orthodox parish in Chelm, the female choir from parish in Novoberezow, Kostomloty or the band “Polesie” of Horodyszcz.
- There was no end to the applause when more than forty-person family choir of the parish at the monastery in Suprasl appeared on the stage. Dressed in Belarusian folk costumes, they successfully made a bunch of Christian carols.
- Similarly, the audience adopted warmly the folk vocal band “Milawica” from Brest,
- as well as the folk choir “Orijana” from the palace of culture in Lviv
- or the children’s choir “Radunicia” also from this city.
- Performers from Lviv dominated the evening of the first day. In addition to the competition, with the concert, which made a huge impression on the audience, there was a bandurist band “Karpaty”. Their instrumental and vocal performance remained long in memory, not only because of the masterful performance of christmas carols, but also because three-quarters of the choristers are blind. As a reward for their poignant performance, they received a commemorative icon and a monograph by Terespol.
In the conclusion of the first day Andrzej Boublej – artistic director of the festival noted that it was a long and rich evening experience.
Sunday – Day II
- The auditions on the second day were started by the hosts, the choir “Corda Vox” under the direction of Thomas Jezuit. A multi-person, colorfully dressed choir, from year to year is making more and more progress.
- After them on the Terespol stage caroled “Jarzebina” from Zablocia in the municipality of Koden,
- music family from Germany
- and the vocal band “Wiem dokad ide” (“I know where I’m going”) from Lomazy, in front of which there are big prospects, provided that they do not lack the desire and perseverance during the trials.
- Later, “Zgoda”, a female choir at the Polish Consulate in Brest was very successful
- and a small number, but ambitious choir of the Orthodox parish in Slawatycze.
- The eastern singing school was presented by the diocesan choir of the theological school Vladimir Volhynski – mixed, four-voice with an interestingly set sound.
- Similarly, the audience was recognized by the children’s band “Ulanoczka” from Rivne in Ukraine, who in folk costumes with a star sang christmas carols and the sings of our eastern neighbor.
- Also interesting sounded choirs and bands: the seven-person “Sacrum” from IV LO in Biala Podlaska,
- youth choir from Siemiatycze
- and colorfully dressed children’s youth choir “Amicus” from Krasnystaw. Which performed without a score, successfully sang Belarusian Christmas carols.
- In turn, the academic choir “Elegy” from Orsha in Belarus did not delight, although after performers from the east should always be expected a lot. Their weaker performance can only be justified by the fatigue caused by the long journey.
- However, as always “Volynskie dzvony” (“Volhynian Bells”) did not disappoint, which presented in a masterfully new christmas carols not known to us. They performed them so daringly and at such a very high, professional level that they sang two prizes at the same time: the prize of audience and the Grand Prix.
- The most engaged music lovers of choralism could be fully satisfied this evening. In addition to the competition with a concert of christmas carols, there was a choir of clergy of the Warsaw – Bielsk Diocese. The four-voice fully completed choir sounded great, giving an unforgettable spiritual feast to a large Terespol audience.
The emotions of the evening were not over, and not only because of the beautiful singing.
Summary
Ryszard Korneluk, chairman of the festival committee, decided to thank all those who contributed to the organization of the Terespol caroling. The icons ended up in the hands of the conference staff and dozens of volunteers. He also expressed his gratitude to the mayor of the city and the local authorities for the technical and physical assistance provided, the sponsors and the tenacious and spontaneous audience, which he invited on behalf of the organizers for the 13th edition of the Terespol caroling.