facebooktwittertelegramwhatsapp
copy short urlprintemail
+ A
A -
SuperUser Account

Ailyn Agonia
Doha
THE Moscow Sretensky Monastery Choir, one of the most prominent church-singing ensembles of Russia, staged a special performance at Katara Opera House in the Cultural Village-Katara on Thursday.
The invitation-only performance was held as part of the ongoing celebrations for Qatar-Russia 2018 Year of Culture. It was graced by Qatar's Minister of Culture and Sports HE Salah bin Ghanem al Ali and also attended by the Ambassador of Russia to Qatar HE Nurmakhmad Kholov and a number of officials and diplomats.
The exclusive concert opened with a ceremony featuring opening speeches stressing the importance of cultural exchange between Qatar and Russia in promoting the cultural ties between the two countries and peoples. In his remarks, Ambassador Kholov warmly welcomed the guests to the first performance in Qatar of the internationally-acclaimed choir founded in 1397.
The Sretensky Monastery Choir opened the concert with a performance of an ancient chant, 'Now The Powers Of Heaven'. It was followed by a medley of songs including Russian folk songs such as 'In The Forge' and 'Steppe Around The Steppe'.
The choir's conductor Nikon Zhila led the group in performing moving pieces that was received by the audience with deafening applause. The featured soloists were cheered by the crowd for their powerful voices that filled the packed opera house.
At the end of the concert, the Minister of Culture and the Russian envoy took to the stage to congratulate the choir on their impressive performance.
According to event organisers, the choir's two consecutive performances in Katara served as the kick-off event of a series of activities to be hosted in Qatar for the year of culture programme until next year. There are around 30 activities lined up for the cultural programme, 20 of which had been hosted in Russia. The Qatar-Russia cultural programme consists of cross-cultural collaborations between the cultural, educational and social institutions of the two countries.
The concert also presented a photo exhibition titled 'The Most Beautiful Country' featuring winners from 12 categories of the photo contest organised by The Russian Geographical Society. The collection was brought to Qatar by Rosneft Oil company.
copy short url   Copy
06/10/2018
638