“Doing the festival just for a tick does not make sense”: an interview with producer Alesya Kuznetsova

What festivals are needed in Belarus, why can they be unprofitable even when sold out, and what is the reason for the bad sound in outdoor venues? This was told to the Minsk-Novosti correspondent by the producer, organizer of more than 3,500 concerts and winner of the National Literary Award of Belarus Alesya Kuznetsova.

Alesya, on the one hand, you are the director and producer of the art group Belarus, and on the other hand, you organize large-scale festivals. What is the difference between managing a one-time event and constantly working with a team?

- These are two different planets in my professional life. The festival is a vibrant, intense life with a pre-known final date. You put together a huge machine: scenarios, estimates, technical assignments, contracts, and it materializes on the streets of the city. He lives for a few days and then disappears.

A permanent team is quite different. It’s a long distance: the repertoire, the economy, human relations, crises and the need to move on. In short, the festival is like a special operation, where people converge on time, and the group is like a marriage, where you need to go together for decades. And the art group “Belarus” is more than 20 years old, so we know something about the long distance.

- In the direction of mass events, something always goes wrong. Does the producer have a universal plan B?

- There's no universal plan B. And if anyone ever invented it and started selling it to producers, I think he would be a very rich man. There is another experience and the ability to rebuild the design in a few seconds and not force the viewer to experience all production problems with you.

I remember a big festival when thousands of people stood in front of the stage, and the wind was getting so strong that it was already starting to tear down the equipment. The artists continued the program until the last, the costumes and dresses fluttered quite epicly - to the viewer, perhaps it even seemed part of the show, and we were already completely unfun.

We and the organizers decided to shelter people in a neighboring building in a matter of minutes, and the city authorities promptly adjusted transport during this time: the platform was far from the center, and it was necessary to organize the delivery of spectators to the city.

Photo is illustrative, pexels.com

And more recently, in Novogrudok, I staged a historical theatrical concert on the Castle Hill in such a wind that we already joked: as long as no one was carried away along with costumes and scenery. And the technical guys were holding the equipment again and further strengthening the structures right on the go.

Sometimes the electricity just goes off. In front of you, a crowd of people — and suddenly the screens go out, the microphones shut down. And here's the script you've been working on for months, which is not the most important thing.

The director has no right to remain in love with his own script. Life has made adjustments. I remember one day two major events were held at the same time 100 km apart, and the same artists were involved in both venues. We were in touch with colleagues, made edits, what is called on the move, but the viewer did not notice anything. The script can be changed – the main thing is to preserve the meaning, atmosphere and emotions.

- What is the cost of the festival usually underestimated? What could be more expensive than the headliner’s own fee?

- Anything that doesn't perform. The stage, sound, lights, screens, electricity, delivery of equipment, transport, hotels, security, directorial and production group - without it at a large event very quickly there will be chaos - technical staff, copyright, taxes.

And sometimes a completely household thing can spoil the impression of a very expensive event. For example, a broken wardrobe in a large room. Insufficient security with a fairly active crowd of spectators. An ill-conceived scheme for the exit of spectators.

A person can watch a great concert for two hours, and then not be able to pick up their coat for an hour or not be able to leave for two hours. And guess what he'll tell his friends the next day?

Each event is unique. You can’t take a template that worked in one city on one site, move it to another place and assume that everything is ready.

And yes, in the total estimate, the entire invisible layer may actually be more expensive than the fee of an individual headliner.

- How do you determine whether the material and the program will work for the audience? Is it a mathematical calculation or a sense of thumb?

- It is a combination of mathematics, intuition and many years of experience. I feel what people need, and then I check it with numbers and statistics. Today it is not enough just to collect artists on the poster. The audience has become sophisticated: people are interested in the overall concept, atmosphere, service, sound and the emotion with which they leave the venue.

- Many Minsk residents and fans of open air notice that in recent years the number of large, soulful festivals in our country has significantly decreased. Some legendary projects have closed, new ones are emerging cautiously. How would you, as an organizer, comment on this trend?

A big festival today requires serious investments, but even this does not guarantee its success and payback. Weather, partners, logistics, security, economics, changes in the requirements for the organization of events are many factors. Therefore, it is natural that the organizers have become more cautious.

But at the same time, I really like another trend: many Belarusian cities have festivals that emphasize the uniqueness of their place.

The festival of embossing "Openwork code Novogrudok", "Smargonsk abaranki", "Cherry festival" in Glubok, "Voronovsky dranik", in Zelva revived "Annensky kirmash", which existed centuries ago; Polesie festivals ..

I like the idea of coming for a day or two and literally getting a taste of a particular Belarusian city during such events. Because the festival is a great opportunity to discover Belarus, which is completely different in each city.

If we talk about large-scale events, it is a great honor for me to be a producer and director of concert programs of the Vytoki sports and cultural festival. Over the five years of its existence, the festival covered 21 cities, and for each of them, together with the NOC of Belarus and other co-organizers of the festival, we created large-scale, beautiful concerts. I can’t believe that recently we just discussed the idea of the first project, and today Vytoki has become a common phenomenon in the life of the country. This festival is unique: before it, no one united sports, culture, art and local brands in this format. It was great and interesting.

Photo by Belt

Viable projects with their own unique concept. Making a festival just for a tick today does not make sense. I believe we need more events that create a truly quality cultural space.

- Viewers regularly complain in social networks about the quality of the sound: “Porridge, bass score vocals, nothing to make out.” As a director and producer, why do we still face this problem so often in 2026 with modern technology?

- Good sound doesn’t automatically come along with expensive speakers. This is a chain: acoustics, system calculation, tuning, sound check and, of course, the professionalism of the sound engineer. Even in the age of AI, a person who can hear must sit at the remote.

This summer, my son and I went to an international event abroad – their sound engineer headed our anti-rating. It is simply impossible to imagine such a sound. After that, many Belarusian events, which I criticized earlier, were rehabilitated in my eyes. And yes, sometimes the reason is the banal savings of organizers on contractors. The sound of miracles is small: what is not rebuilt before the arrival of the audience, then you can not correct.

- Today there are a huge number of vocal contests and shows. Viewers see incredible young voices, admire them, but the floodlights go out - and these artists disappear. Why does a great voice and a contest win today not guarantee a place on the big stage?

- Because the voice is just the raw material. I always think of a piece of clay here. From the same lump, you can make an ordinary kitchen cup, you can create a work of art, or you can do nothing, and it will remain a piece of clay.

Vocal contests and TV shows give an amazing start, but conceal an insidious moment. The artist comes to the project, where dozens of specialists work for him - from stylists and choreographers to directors and sound engineers. Perfect light, sound, prime time on TV, ovation of the hall ... At this moment, the young performer inevitably has a false feeling: the top is taken, I am already a star.

Photo is illustrative, pexels.com

And then the project ends. And sometimes people don't really understand, "Where are my big concerts?" Where are the huge fees? I was shown to the whole country yesterday

And that's where the fun starts. At the show, you get applause up front. And the real career begins the day after the final. And then you need your repertoire, your image, your team, your strategy, your audience, your development money, your ability to withstand rejection, your ability to get up again after failure, and a lot of daily work. Not everyone survives this transition. But we have some great examples.

On the television project was born the group “Hearts of three”. They continued to work at our production center and have been performing solo concerts across the country for two years now. Absolutely amazing team: Farhat, Yana and Glory. Quite different, but sang in the most literal sense of the word.

And at the festival "Vytoki" the Grand Prix once became a very young, then unknown to anyone Irina Irshonok with a unique folk voice. Today she is a soloist of the Mikhail Finberg orchestra and continues to build a professional career, performing in our country and abroad.

These are the cases when, in addition to talent, a person has inner qualities, without which the artist simply will not take place. So I would put it this way: winning a contest gives you a spotlight for a few minutes. But it is impossible to stand in the light of someone else's spotlight all your life. At some point you have to light yours. This will require a lot of study and a lot of work. And it is good when next to the artist there is a producer who will help to outline a strategy, calculate, and corny comply with the legislative aspects associated with concert activities.

Photo from the archives of A. Kuznetsova