Qualifying round of corporate Fakel Festival concludes in Yekaterinburg
Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg
Service of Public Relations and Media Gazprom transgaz Yekaterinburg
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On November 9, the northern zonal round of the 8th corporate Fakel Festival of Gazprom concluded with a festive ceremony in Yekaterinburg. Over 1,600 participants and guests from 20 subsidiaries of Gazprom gathered together on that evening at the grand hall of the Kosmos cinema and concert center, which was the main venue of the event.
During the three-day Festival, the jury saw and evaluated 149 performances. There were 833 participants in three age brackets: children aged 5 to 10 years, 11- to 16-year-olds, and adults aged 17 years and older. Performers competed in the following categories: “Vocals,” “Choreography,” “Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles,” “Folk Music,” “Circus and Variety Acts,” and “Performance Art.”
As a result, 64 contestants, including solo artists and teams, received first- and second-degree diplomas. Another 20 diplomas, along with the right to represent their subsidiaries in the final round of the Fakel Festival, went to children who took part in the Young Artist competition.
The gala concert opened with a light painting show entitled Green Raccoon by Gazprom Geologorazvedka, which then segued into a performance by the Tomsk-based ballet group Babylon, winner in the variety dance category. Next came the teams that had appeared in the qualifying round, representing Ukhta, Yugorsk and other cities and towns.
The performances were followed by the awarding of special prizes. Kirill Bogush, Deputy Chairman of the interregional trade union organization Gazprom Workers’ Union, and Sergey Ovchinnikov, Chairman of the united primary trade union organization Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg Trade Union, gave special prizes to the youngest and the oldest participants of the Festival – Dasha Agadulina, a 5-year-old from Yugorsk, and Nikolai Kapustin, a 62-year-old employee of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz. Galina Golovina, First Deputy Minister of Culture of the Sverdlovsk Region, handed a special prize to Jam, an ensemble from Gazprom Transgaz Yugorsk, for creative commitment to the Fakel Festival. Alexey Kryukov, Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg, gave an award to the Senyory ballroom dance ensemble from Noyabrsk and declared the Festival closed.
The evening concluded with a performance by special guests: Nodar Reviya, star of the TV shows The Voice and X Factor, Armen Merabov, composer, arranger and virtuoso pianist, and Mariam Merabova, another star vocalist from The Voice.
Background
The biennial corporate Fakel Festival has a tripartite structure. During the first round, Gazprom’s subsidiaries select their best performers, who then take part in the zonal rounds. The zonal rounds (for the southern and northern zones) are held at the second stage. The winners then perform in the third and final round.
The first corporate Fakel Festival was conducted in 2004–2005. The host cities of the zonal rounds have included Orenburg (twice), Yugorsk, Surgut, Kazan, Tomsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan, Belgorod, Khanty-Mansiysk, and Yekaterinburg. The final rounds of the Festival have been held in Gelendzhik (2006–2012), Vitebsk (Belarus, 2013), and Sochi (2015 and 2017).
The qualifying round of the 8th corporate Fakel Festival in Yekaterinburg was judged by a jury of renowned Russian arts and culture professionals.
Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. Its facilities are located in four Russian constituent entities, namely the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg and Kurgan Regions.
The company has 26 branches and employs around 9,500 people. It is headquartered in Yekaterinburg.