On 24 September, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. One of Europe's finest concert venues, St. Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk, will open its 30th season on 30 September, the concert hall informed a BELTA correspondent. The jubilee season will be opened by a performance of the concert hall's soloist Ksenia Pogorela and the academic choir "Blagovest" from the Russian town of Tikhvin. The ensemble works in the traditions of the Russian choral school and maintains a high standard of performing arts. The choir has repeatedly become a laureate of competitions and festivals. The choir's repertoire includes Russian sacred music, choral miniatures, and works by Russian and foreign classical composers. St. Sophia Cathedral's concert hall has always attracted not only audiences but also artists. World-renowned soloists and ensembles from over 25 countries have considered it an honour to perform here. Over 300 organ and chamber music concerts are held annually in St. Sophia Cathedral. For a quarter of a century, the International Festival of Early and Modern Chamber Music and the organ music festival "Zvyany Safii" have enjoyed constant interest. Preparations are currently underway for the 17th International Organ Music Festival, which will feature new names: Marek Toporowski (Poland), Luca Massaglia (Italy), Natalia Letyuk (Ukraine), Evgeny Avramenko (Russia), Martin Raberstainer (Switzerland). All events, including the festivals, are dedicated to the 1150th anniversary of Polotsk this year. Music was first heard in St. Sophia Cathedral in 1983. Its unique acoustics have brought fame to the concert hall far beyond the borders of Polotsk. In 1985, specialists from the Czech firm "Riеger Kloss" installed an organ, custom-made, which organically blended into the museum exhibition of the architectural monument. -0-

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