Published: 13 May, 2009, 10:40
Edited: 13 May, 2009, 10:40
As the Eurovision Song Contest kicks off in Moscow, scores of participants from more than 40 countries have arrived in Moscow and all of them need looking after. Special volunteers are working to keep the visitors happy.
Backstage at Europe’s biggest music contest, Anna Adanasyan, a 24-year-old musician is doing what may seem for some a hard job for no money. She is just one of the hundreds of volunteers working at Eurovision in Moscow and Anna says it gives her a different kind of reward:
“It gives experience, it gives communication, it gives impression and it gives, of course, contacts.”
Her job is to meet musicians coming for the contest, show them around the city and help them overcome any challenge they might meet in the Russian capital.
For Anna it is not the first time she's been involved into the music business. Several years ago she met Jamma, a young composer of electronic music. Initially the girls became friends, but now it is more of a business relationship.
Currently, Anna is promoting Jamma's band and the young women already have something to be proud of: a new album and concerts are coming soon.
Anna believes playing even a small part at Eurovision could teach her some tricks of the trade.
“I'm going to be with the musicians all the time,” Anna explains. “Of course it’s going to be stressful and hard, but I'm sure I can learn something new. Wherever you are with them, you are in rehearsal,” she adds.
She will be in charge of the famous British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the UK entry Jade Ewen, who is already a star in Russia after a major PR campaign. She hopes to find some time to get some advice from them to help her burgeoning career.
For Anna being a volunteer at the Eurovision gives not only an amusing experience, but also a chance to see how the world of music and performance looks like behind the stage. It is a place she would eventually like to call home.