On July 5, a fundraising concert was held at the village community center in Diveyevo. Olga and Vladimir Kuznetsov were the announcers.

The concert began with the performance of Yaroslava Mayatskaya, a young member of the Bolshoi Theatre Children’s Choir. Next, the performances by Andrey Grigoryev, Honorable Artist of Russia and Bolshoi Theatre soloist, his student Maria Oswald, Sergey Lysenko (oboe) and his wife Natalya Kiselyova (piano), the soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, and Daria Bagrova, the soloist of the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre, followed.

Andris Liepa announced the next performers, Ilze Liepa with her daughter Nadezhda, who presented the ballet acts.

At the end of the concert, Alexander Lomonosov, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, the soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre from 1974 to 2002, took to the stage. Alexander Mikhailovich celebrated his 80th anniversary this year. Despite his advanced age, he is still capable of captivating the audience with the exemplary performance skills. He was an amateur singer until he turned thirty-five years old. A professional radio technician, he sang at amateur performances at first before enrolling at the Traditional Folk Singing School and later joining a touring opera company. After graduation from the Gnesinykh Academy of Music in 1975, the artist became the soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre. In Diveyevo, Alexander Lomonosov performed Herman’s aria from “The Queen of Spades” and arias of Radames from “Aida”, Jose from “Carmen” and Faust from the opera of the same name.

Alla Basargina, the accompanist from the Galina Vishnevskaya Center, warmly presented and assisted the singers.

The funds raised at the concert will go towards the mosaics at the Annunciation Cathedral of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery.