Nominations of the festival

The first in Russia international festival for children with hearing impairment "The Magic Symphony" was conceived and conducted by the parent association "I hear the world!", The St. Petersburg Research Institute and the "Petersburg Concert". Total applications for participation in the festival were sent by 72 children (the smallest - 4 years). The best of them - about 20 children fr om different cities of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan - on September 14 appeared on the stage of the State Academic Capella of St. Petersburg. All of them only a few years ago, after cochlear implantation, they began to hear, understand speech, speak, and then discovered a musical talent. Specialists in auditory rehabilitation are sure: music as nothing else helps previously unheard children to get used to the world of sounds.

For the first time, young talents, who were first left without a hearing, and then found not only an ordinary, but also a musical ear, were given the chance to make their debut on the stage in Poland. In Warsaw in 2015 the first international music festival for deaf children was held - "Rhythms of the snail", and in July 2016 - the second. They showed themselves not hearing, but talented children fr om Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia. Some of them came to the first Russian music festival in St. Petersburg this fall.

Georgy Poltavchenko, Governor of St. Petersburg

The guests and participants of the festival were greeted by the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko.

The guests and participants of the festival were greeted by the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko:

- The First International Music Festival "Magic Symphony" is a good undertaking that opens the way to the music scene for children with hearing impairments. Russia is hosting such a festival for the first time. I am glad that St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of our country, became the venue for it. For more than three centuries our city has inspired the work of many music figures - composers, conductors and performers. "Magic Symphony" gathered on the shores of the Neva more than 70 children from Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus. It is a real festival of young talents, a meeting with gifted and very strong people. Contrary to the circumstances, they live a full life, generously share with us.

Dmitry Kulikov, the head of the parent association "I hear the world!"

Dmitry Kulikov: "We were supported by all: the authorities, business, doctors and cultural figures".

- We were convinced that, it would seem, impossible - it is possible: those who did not hear before, now sing, dance, play music, - explains the head of the parent association "I hear the world!" Dmitry Kulikov. - We realized that there are plenty of talents among such children. That's why they thought: why do not we repeat this experience in Russia? We were supported by all: the authorities, business, doctors, and cultural figures. Famous artists agreed to speak for free when we told them about these children. Of course, we really wanted to give an opportunity to play, sing and dance on a professional stage to all those who sent applications, but had to lim it themselves to only one and a half hours of the final concert. For a jury of musicians, directors and experts on auditory rehabilitation, it was very difficult task to choose: whom to invite to the performance in the Chapel?

"For the sake of beauty, we had to digress a little from the festival's regulations," says Elena Chetyrkina, one of the organizers of the event and the authors of the idea. - We accepted applications from three participants who did not enter the children's category - they are 20 to 22 years old. But, after watching the performances of the girls, we realized that not showing them to the audience is a crime.

Exceptions to the rules: this is the 22-year-old Aigerim Tutova from Kazakhstan, whose voice won the hearts of listeners, 20-year-old Marina Rudakova from Chelyabinsk, touchingly playing the guitar, and 20-year-old Eleonora Simonyan with fiery Latin American dances.

Aigerim Tutova (Kazakhstan, 22 years old)

Aigerim as the most senior participant was entrusted to open a gala concert. The audience fell silent and listened.

Aigerim - as the oldest participant - was entrusted to open a gala concert, and I happened to be next to her mother. The question was asked: what does she feel at this moment? Mother, whose child has not heard anything so far (Aigerim lost her hearing in 3 years, after suffering pneumonia, and was implanted in 2015), did not speak, did not understand the words even, but now stands on the stage and sings? Yes, so that everyone is fascinated! Mom Aigerim - Gulshat, standing at the very end of the hall, took pictures of what was happening on the stage to a simple mobile phone. The woman at the same time was smiling and crying. And no words could be expressed more than these tears and a happy smile.

On the stage of the State Academic Capella in a contrasting black and white outfit Aigerim sang. To convey as - without the help of sound is unreal. The audience fell silent and listened. She sang first in Kazakh, and, of course, not everyone in the room understood the meaning, but felt, and then - in Russian: "How many years of love in me slept ..." However it does not matter in what language and what the girl sang. More importantly, how many years Aigerim's talent "slept", but a miracle happened - and he "woke up." Or rather, two miracles. The first - cochlear implantation, after which Aigerim Tutova began to hear, speak and sing. And the second miracle is the first international festival in Russia for children with hearing impairments "The Magic Symphony", thanks to which people learned about this talent.

Eleonora Simonyan (Novorossiysk, 20 years old)

Eleanor came to the professional scene with Latin American dance for the first time in her life.

Eleonora Simonyan from Novorossiysk came out on a professional stage with Latin American dance for the first time in her life. This participant was watched with particular excitement by the St. Petersburg doctors, and in particular - the director of the St. Petersburg Research Institute, the chief otolaryngologist of St. Petersburg, MD. Yuri Yanov.

- Eleanor lost her hearing in 2.5 years, after the meningitis, - recalls the mother of the girl Viola Simonyan. - It was in 1999, when little was known about cochlear implantation, it was rarely done. We were operated by the chief doctor of the St. Petersburg ENT Research Institute, Yuri Yanov. The daughter was then only seventeenth in the account the patient in clinic to whom put a cochlear implant. Of course, we were very afraid, but there was no other way out. However, since then, we have never regretted. Eleanor graduated with honors from the school. He speaks fluent Russian and Armenian, and learns English. Today she is a student of the law faculty of the Yerevan State University.

Marina Rudakova (Chelyabinsk, 20 years old)

"As if for many years you lived and did not know what you are missing, but here I understood for a minute. Now I know for sure that music is my life. "

Marina Rudakova was born not hearing. Cochlear implantation returned her to the world of sounds in 12 years - not too early. But since Marina talked, she had always been subconsciously drawn to the music.

- At school, I met a hearing girl, very kind and sensitive, - says Marina. "One day she invited me to her house, and there I heard her playing the guitar. It was a moment of insight. As if for many years you lived and did not know what you were missing, but here I understood for a minute. Now I know for sure that music is my life ...

Tatyana Lobach (St. Petersburg, 11 years old)

Tatyana Lobach has lost her hearing in 3 years, and today she is successfully engaged in folk dances.

Tatiana Lobach has lost her hearing in 3 years. After cochlear implantation, I worked hard with specialists in the maternity center. We heard that the music develops a rumor and speech, so we decided to go to music school. And they began to play the flute. But the child, in the end, chose dancing classes.

Diana Prikhodko (Ukraine, 11 years old)

When the teacher looked at Diana, it turned out that she has not only a musical ear, but also a gift.

11-year-old Diana Prikhodko from Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) also had a hard time developing the way to music: the girl was born in a family wh ere both parents are deaf. Now she plays the violin and is the third time in the finals of international music festivals for children with hearing impairment (twice went to Poland).

"We did not choose the instrument - he chose us," laughed the grandmother of the finalist of the "Magic Symphony" Elena Zykina. - Diana was advised to sing, but for several years I could not find a teacher who would agree to deal with her granddaughter. As soon as the teachers found out about our problem, they immediately made big eyes and we were kicked off. And five years ago, Diana's girlfriend, hearing the girl, began to learn to play the violin. Then her mother asked the teacher to look at Diana. He took pity, looked, and it turned out that she has not only a musical ear, but also a gift.

Nikita Milyutin (settlement Nizhnesortimsky, 8 years old)

"At the rehearsals we tried to guess any minute when the piano is not busy to rehearse ..."

The talent of 8-year-old Nikita Milyutin from the village of Nizhnesortimsky (Surgutsky district) also opened after cochlear implantation (the boy was born eight months old and lost his hearing because of intensive antibiotic therapy), and for the first time his unusual abilities were noticed at festivals in Warsaw. There Nikita was so amazingly played the piano song of the crocodile Gena, that the relative of the composer Vladimir Shainsky - Vadim Brodsky, who was a member of the jury, ran to the child behind the scenes to get acquainted. And another member of the jury - the Polish opera singer Alicia Węgorzewska - admitted that Nikita had won her heart, and asked to make a selfie with the boy for memory.

"We wanted to perform a song of the crocodile Genes in St. Petersburg," says Vyacheslav Kornivsky, a music teacher from the Nizhnesortmysky Music School, a musician and laureate of many international competitions. - But suddenly we were asked to play the "Sun circle". In the end, we had a month to learn a new song! And for this month I managed to go on vacation. Nikita called me, and I listened to him on the phone, as he plays. Then Nikita and his family went to a sanatorium. Thank God, there was a grand piano. The pupil was playing, and I was listening on the phone again. And here, in St. Petersburg, in the Capella, at rehearsals we tried to guess any minute when the piano is not busy to rehearse ...

Unlike the teacher Nikita tried to snatch every free moment to spend it much more fun - in games and pranks with a new friend from Kazakhstan - 8-year-old Nurbolle Seydulla, playing the national Kazakh musical instrument - dombra.

Nurbol Seydulla (Kazakhstan, 8 years old)

"Wow! - Mom Nurbolla was surprised. "At home, my son is very quiet, calm, shy."

- Wow! - Mother Nurbolla Gulmira was surprised. - And at home the son is very quiet, calm, shy.

Aigerim Tutova did not miss the opportunity to spill at least a couple of words with Marina Rudakova, Eleonora Simonyan, Diana Prikhodko.

Poppuri of national dances (Uzbekistan, 6-12 years)

"The children believed in themselves, in their talent, they began to dream and hope that dreams will come true."

"Perhaps, it is even more important: our children became friends, learned to admire and rejoice in others' successes, it was very important that they were appreciated not only by an authoritative jury, but also soul mates," says one of the leaders of the Uzbek dance group and the father of two dancers Maksut Makhmudov. - All participants of the Gala concert realized that their work (and employment is still a big work) is not useless. And, looking at the stars, they felt that they could also become similar. The children believed in themselves, in their talent, began to dream and hope that dreams will come true.

Guests of the festival "Magic Symphony"

From the auditorium to the finalists watched hundreds of eyes, which also need faith in the dream.

And more about the important. From the auditorium (except parents, doctors and guests), the finalists of the musical festival "The Magic Symphony" watched hundreds of eyes, which also need faith in the dream. These were the eyes of students from the special schools from St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, invited to speak.

Arkady Sosnov, editor-in-chief of the almanac "Russian Maecenas" (partner and co-organizer of the festival).

Arkady Sosnov: "Own will and faith can change lives."

Much in our lives is felt at the cost of loss, - the guest of honor of the "Magic Symphony", the editor-in-chief of the almanac "Russian Maecenas" (partner and co-organizer of the festival) Arkady Sosnov addressed the participants. "When a child comes into the world, it is only natural that he begins to hear, talk, communicate ... It is possible to imagine the tragedy of both children and parents when they understand that they will not hear, speak, sing or play music ... No! Modern medical technologies and public investments allow this to be corrected. And your own will and faith can actually change your life.

Ekaterina Artiushkina, general director of the St. Petersburg Concert Concert Hall (partner and co-organizer of the festival).

Ekaterina Artyushkina: "The children were convinced that they can achieve even greater success."

"All 72 children from different regions of Russia and other countries who sent applications for the Music Festival are very bright children," said Yekaterina Artiushkina, general director of the "St. Petersburg Concert" (partner and co-organizer of the festival). - I am very glad that they performed on the stage of the Chapel shoulder to shoulder with the Petersburg and Moscow stars, and they responded with joy when they heard about the project in question. Now the children, with the example of celebrities, became convinced that they can achieve even greater success.

Yuri Yanov, honorary guest of the festival, director of the ENT Research Institute, chief otolaryngologist of St. Petersburg, MD.

Yuri Yanov: "Music prompts you to improve your hearing and speech."

- I do not know: is the ear finding associated with the awakening of musical ear, but I think the motivation to improve speech and hearing just wakes up, - summed up the honorary guest of the festival, the director of the ENT Research Institute, the chief otolaryngologist of St. Petersburg, MD. Yuri Yanov. - Everyone knows that the eyes and ears are our gateway to communicate with the world. And although it is believed that 98% of the information a person receives through the organs of vision, and only 2% - through the organs of hearing, but you can judge how important these two percent are! German philosopher Immanuel Kant said: "The pathology of vision and blindness separates us from the world of things, and the pathology of hearing and deafness - from the world of people." I am very glad that you are nothing more and do not separate from anyone.

All laureates of the First International Festival for Children with Hearing Impairment "The Magic Symphony" in Russia received diplomas, flowers, valuable gifts, and one especially emotional - a toy, a lioness of Usharik, the same conductor into the world of sounds, with which each of the children has its own uneasy , but a happy story ...

"The Magic Symphony 2016". See you next year!

For a detailed photo report, see our VKontakte group.
Site of the festival: ci-festival.com.

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