Hello!

This year May turned out to be a busy month for travel. I was lucky enough to participate as a guest vocalist at the fourth open Russian patriotic film festival “MALAJA ZEMLJA” in Novorossiysk from May 19 to 23 and at the second open Russian film festival “KSTOKINO” in Kstovo near Nizhny Novgorod from May 27 to 30. Unforgettable emotions, meeting with old friends whom I met at the “Amur Autumn” festival in Blagoveshchensk last year, and new talented acquaintances – this is just a small part of what happened to me during this travel.

The festival in Novorossiysk turned out to be a test of distance – we traveled from Moscow to Sochi by plane, and from there we went by bus along the Black Sea serpentine along the coastline to our destination. The city greeted me very cordially, I took part in three concerts: the first was in a border military unit, where I was awarded a memorable letter of gratitude and a group photograph with all the participants; at the second concert I met two wonderful young vocalists Mia and Alisa, who performed the song “Moon Melody” with me. The organizers liked our performance so much that they decided to include it in the final concert, a video from which I publish on my website. The city enchanted me with its beauty and gentle sea, in which I could not help but swim, despite the fact that the water had not warmed up enough by that time. The final highlight of my trip was an excursion to the Chateau Pinot vineyards, where we tasted the brightest varieties of wine and local food snails, learned a lot of interesting things about winemaking technology.

Returning to Moscow, I had several days to prepare for my next trip to Kstovo. Once again I packed my suitcase with concert costumes and set off on my second trip. This time I got there by train through Nizhny Novgorod, where we were met by a transfer and taken to the Green City sanatorium. Fresh air, a pine forest, midges during the day and hordes of mosquitoes in the evening – something you won’t find in the capital, so even this strange combination turned out to be the highlight of this trip. On the first day of the festival me and other participants performed on the stage of the local cultural center, where we were surprisingly greeted as if we were the most desirable stars and had just returned from a world tour. On the same day the organizers gave us an interesting excursion around Nizhny Novgorod in the evening, telling us about the history of the city and showing us the most beautiful streets and view points. On the second day the concert took place in a military unit, where the audience turned out to be more reserved, but no less cordial and hospitable. The closing of the festival took place in the very center of the city in the palace of culture of petrochemists, where I performed the song “City of Childhood”. On this stage I was lucky enough to stand with one of my favorite Russian actresses – Irina Muravyova. The perfect end to the trip was a grand banquet in a summer tent on the bank of the Volga river.

Once again I was filled with energy and creative inspiration for new achievements. I am deeply grateful to fate for the opportunity to immerse myself in the atmosphere of a festival and holiday, which occupies my thoughts for a long time and gives strength for further development.

You can find out more about the festivals on the websites Malaja Zemlja and KstoKino.