On September, 30, the long-awaited opening of the musical season «Lunch-concert» took place at Polotsk State University with a program dedicated to the International Music Day.
In public awareness PSU is not only the big educational and scientific centre. Nowadays it’s a marked occurrence of the cultural life of Vitebsk region and the whole country. Traditional lunch-concerts are one of the brightest and the most expressive proofs of it.
Before the opening of the sixth season of «Lunch-concert» we’ve had an interview with the musical chief of this project Elena Naumovna Vasilyeva.
The correspondent: Elena Naumovna, please, tell us what the lunch-concert is?
E.N. Vasilyeva: The author of lunch-concert at PSU is the rector of the university, Dmitry Lazovsky. He was always interested in wide cultural education.
The practice of university lunch-concerts is a widely-spread phenomenon for West European, especially English-speaking countries. In Cambridge and Edinburgh they are traditionally held on Tuesdays, at the Royal Institute of Technology – on Wednesdays, in Nottingham – on Fridays. In Belarus there are no similar projects, but ours is unique in many ways. The audience can listen to classical and folk, jazz and modern music.
In comparison with west examples which attract philharmonic performers, our concerts are made by teachers and students of the musical college and also musicians of Polotsk region. They are all professionals who are completely devoted to their work.
This project is interesting both for the university and for college students. They have concert training, a great chance to show their talent and check their possibilities.
The correspondent: And what was the audience reaction?
E.N. Vasilyeva: From the very beginning of the project students, university staff and some teachers actively visited our concerts.
There were several republican and regional newspapers that wrote about us. The project became popular, and as the result many Novopolotsk citizens began visiting our musical events. The lunch-concert for them is a mini philharmonic society in our town.
The correspondent: What kind of programs were the most successful, bright and memorable during this project?
E.N. Vasilyeva: We had a special lunch-concert dedicated to 330th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach. On March, 2015 we made a very good program performed by the chamber ensemble.
The correspondent: What can we expect from the sixth season of lunch-concert project?
E.N. Vasilyeva: As always there will be a concert digest during the opening of the sixth season. We’ll try to make it bright and various. We also prepare a special sincere concert devoted to Mother’s Day. And as always there will be a traditional Christmas lunch-concert.
At the end I would like to thank all people who support this project from the very beginning: service, university television, web-site, publishing service of PSU. And, of course, I’d like to thank Dmitry Nikolaevich Lazovsky!
Thus, the lunch-concert is not only Student activity Department and Musical college. It’s a common and joint project. Thank you very much for your support, activity, help and promotion! Come to lunch-concerts! Don’t miss the chance to enrich your life! I’m sure you’ll open many important things for yourself, but something new in yourself!
The correspondent: Thank you very much, Elena Naumovna, for your work and for this interview!
Vladimir Filipenko, the correspondent