News & Events in Belarus

Soraya from Italy wins Vitebsk 2026 Grand Prix

VITEBSK, 19 July (BelTA) - The winner of the International Song Contest Vitebsk 2026 at the 35th International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk has been announced, BelTA has learned.

The second contest day of the song contest took place at the Summer Amphitheater in Vitebsk. Artists from 19 countries performed a piece in one of the Slavic languages, accompanied by the National Presidential Orchestra conducted by Vitaly Kulbakov. As contest participants always note, this is no easy task, as it is necessary not only to keep track of one's own performance but also to feel how the musicians are playing.

Soraya from Italy gave the best performance. She sang the heartfelt composition “Don’t Kiss” and captivated both the audience and the jury. Over the two days, the performer amassed the highest total score, 135, and won the well-deserved Grand Prix.

Australia’s Maxine captivated the Vitebsk audience and the jury with her pure performance in Russian. The artist admitted that she did not understand anything of what she was singing, which made it all the more astonishing how she managed to convey the deep emotions embedded in the lyrics. For her flawless vocals and artistry, she was awarded 69 points.

China’s representative proved just as surprising. Fan Zhang delivered a touching rendition of “Sweet Home”.

Meanwhile, Moldova's Alexei Osichev, a crowd favorite, eligible bachelor, musician, and owner of a spellbinding voice, only deepened the audiences’ affection with a performance sung in Belarusian.

Georgia's Irakli Gadelia melted the hearts of everyone in the Summer Amphitheater, and most likely the residents of nearby buildings too. His soulful voice carried for a good couple of kilometers in every direction. While he didn’t walk away with top marks (only 63 points), the singer certainly made an impression on the festival.

Incidentally, while waiting for their scores, the young performers treated the audience to snippets of songs about childhood and youth, as well as soundtracks from famous films and animated movies. By the end, a good half of the hall felt as though they had been transported back to their own childhood days.

In the final, all the laureates were announced. The first prize went to Amalyat from Kazakhstan.

The second prize was shared by Alexei Osichev from Moldova and Elena Kuznetsova from Belarus.

The special awards from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus–Russia Union went to Belarusian Elena Kuznetsova and Russian Yulia Malinova.

The third-degree diploma recipients, as decided by the jury, were Nurdoolot Derkembaev from Kyrgyzstan and Irakli Gadelia from Georgia.

Vladimir Mulyavin special prize awarded for the best interpretation of national themes and outstanding performance skills went to Alexei Osichev.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks