Singers from 10 countries paying tribute to famous Moldovan duo

35 singers from 10 countries will perform at the Sixth Festival In Memoriam Doina and Ion Aldea-Teodorovici. The festival starts today, November 13, with the children's section, and will culminate with a gala, traditionally held on November 15, the day on which Doina used to celebrate her birthday. The festival's director, Eugenia Marin, has told Info-Prim Neo that the current edition brings together 16 competitors at the children's section and 19 adult performers. A requirement is to sing one song in Romanian, chosen from the vast stock of songs of the late duo. The second song to be performed in the competition should be in the language of the singer's country. Cristofor Aldea-Teodorovici, the president of the foundation “Doua inimi gemene” (“Two Twin Hearts”) and also the son of Doina and Ion, revealed that this edition will be full of surprises, with “beautiful voices of children and delightful voices of adults”. “We are very pleased that every year we have faithful participants like the artists from Bulgaria”, says Cristofor. The grand prize of the current edition is $1,000. Last year it was awarded to Kremena Creakova of Bulgaria. The special guests of the Laureates' Gala will be the bands ProConsolul from Romania and Studio ONE from Moldova. Cristofor will also mount on stage to pay homage to his late parents, and so will the winners of the previous festivals. 16 years ago, on the night of October 30, 1992, an ugly car accident took the lives of perhaps the most famous couple in Bessarabia's modern history. In late 80s and early 90s, Ion and Doina's patriotic songs inspired thousands to seek Moldova's independence from the Soviet Union and the collapse of the barbed wire fence along the border with Romania.