On September 24–25, 2026 the third in-person regional stage of the international children’s and youth arts contest ‘CPC for Talented Children’ concluded in Astrakhan with two gala concerts. They were included in the official program of the ‘Bridge of Friendship. Russia–Kazakhstan’ International Cultural Forum of the Caspian Region—a high-profile event held recently. As part of the forum in Astrakhan, cross-cultural workshops featuring experts from Russia and Kazakhstan, an evening of national cultures, and other events also took place.
On September 24, a festive concert featuring children's performance groups from the Republic of Kazakhstan and Russian artists took place at the Astrakhan State Philharmonic. Thirty-five winners of the Jas Tolqyn (‘New Wave’) contest arrived at the international venue from a neighboring country. On September 25 the Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre hosted the festival’s closing ceremony and the final gala concert, ‘On the Same Wave Along the Volga to the Caspian’ featuring children's groups and soloists from the Astrakhan region alongside performing groups from Kazakhstan. 110 young talents representing 12 creative groups performed on stage.
The events were attended by Mikhail Grishankov, Deputy General Director, Russian Federation Government Relations; Kairgeldy Kabyldin, Deputy General Director, Republic of Kazakhstan Government Relations; Inessa Gorina, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Astrakhan Region; Maria Shalak, Minister of Education and Science of Astrakhan Region; Kanat Khassenov, Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astrakhan and other officials.
In the run-up to the gala concert on September 23–24, the contest experts held their customary creative workshops covering melodramatic recitation, dance techniques, approaches to vocal training, vocal intonation in children's choirs, the development of artistic and imaginative thinking in piano class, and the work on the beautiful tone as the foundation of musical expression. 375 contestants have attended the lessons.
For nearly 30 years the ‘CPC for Talented Children’ contest has served as a launch pad for young talent, inspiring and uniting children, educators, parents, and creative groups from across the country. Every year more than 20 thous. children and adolescents take part in it - school students and members of vocal and dance ensembles, theater studios, media labs and creative groups. Caspian Pipeline Consortium views its long-standing charitable project as an investment in the future and a contribution to the creative development of the younger generation.
In 2026 the ‘CPC for Talented Children’ contest is thematically linked to both the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia, declared in the Russian Federation, and a milestone jubilee - CPC’s 30th anniversary. During the first stage, jury members reviewed 5,3 thous. video submissions from five Russian regions. About 2,8 thous. entries across six nominations have advanced to the second round of selection. Sixty-four second round entries were awarded the Grand Prix. This year the total of 1470 submission have been received for participation in the first online stage of Jas Tolqyn contest. 350 participants succeeded to the second round and they had performed in person from June 19 to 24 in Atyrau.
For more details please visit the contest official site at: https://ktk-talant.ru in VKontakte communities http://vk.com/ktk_talant
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CPC Pipeline System is one of the major projects in energy sector in the CIS. The length of the Tengiz – Novorossiysk pipeline is 1,511 km. This route transports over two-thirds of all Kazakhstan export oil, and crude from Russian oil fields, including those in the Caspian Region. CPC Marine Terminal is equipped with three Single Point Moorings (SPM) that allow to load tankers safely at a significant distance offshore.
CPC Shareholders: Russian Federation – 24 %, IC CPC Company (OOO) – 7%, NC KazMunayGas JSC – 19%, Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures LLC – 1.75%, Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Company – 15%, Lukoil International GmbH - 12.5%, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company– 7.5%, Rosneft-Shell Caspian Ventures Limited– 7.5%, BG Overseas Holdings Limited– 2%, Eni International N.A. N.V. S.ar.l. – 2% and Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC – 1.75%.