Natalia Gordienco to represent Moldova at New Wave Song Contest in Jurmala

Natalia Gordienco will represent Moldova and Mihai Traistariu – Romania at the 6th edition of the “New Wave” contest in Yurmala. The festival which is only surpassed by Eurovision in terms of proportions, will take place in the Latvian luxury resort, between June 25 and June 30. According to the general director of the festival, Alexandr Rumeantev, quoted by the official site of the festival, the 18 finalists have been chosen following a tough pre-selection - this year the festival had a record number of 8,000 of offers from the wannabe participants. The contest takes place in three stages, with the first already completed in Moscow, in late May. The “New Wave” final will last for three evenings: the first one the artists will have to sing an international hit, then a Russian one and in the third evening a song from their repertoire. The contest will be broadcasted in 8 countries: Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Georgia, and Moldova. Amongst the finalists are artists from Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, USA, the Czech Republic, and from a number of CIS countries. According to Rumeantev, because of this massive presence of artists from Europe, the contest will get a stronger European feature. The winner will receive a prize worth USD 50,000, the second best will be rewarded with USD 30,000, and the third best – 20,000. One of the most famous artists of the Russian stage, Ala Pugaciova, has created her own award, also of USD 50,000, and its receiver may not be the same as the one chosen by the jury. At the 2003 edition of the “New Wave” festival, Nelly Ciobanu placed second, and in the next year Natalia Barbu took the 14th place.