". The four best vocalists of the fourth season competed for the right to become the best voice of the country.
The show began with the presentation of the participants of the project "Voice. Children". They sang a Happy New Year song. Then the floor was taken by representatives of charitable foundations, which went to all the funds collected during the voting of the audience.
And here are the finalists: Era Cannes, Olga Zadonskaya, Mikhail Ozerov And Hieromonk Photius. All those who participated in the fourth season of the show earlier came to support the participants. All numbers of the finalists were accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
Era Cannes was the first to perform. Era performed her song with her mentor, a rapper. The enveloping jazz voice of the young Korean contrasted very well with the rap reading performed by Vasya Vakulenko.
The next issue was presented by two blondes of the project - and Olga Zadonskaya. The performance of the song "Cuckoo" was started by the mentor, who was wearing a strict trouser suit. And Olga's strong vocals made this well-known composition sound in a new way. Two divas incredibly emotionally presented the energy of the song to the audience. Olga Zadonskaya performed like a real fighter.
Further, the unsurpassed with his ward Mikhail Ozerov began to please his fans. They sang the ageless song "How Young We Were". The penetrating and strong performance of this duet did not leave any heart indifferent. Alexander Borisovich seemed to be telling the story of his life, which, of course, touched the deepest strings of the soul of everyone who listened to this song.
The fourth on the stage was the favorite of the show - Hieromonk Photius, accompanied by his mentor. Leps appeared before the audience in a bright purple jacket, which looked good against the background of the strict and ascetic cassock of his ward. The mentor was an excellent cut for the brilliant voice of Father Photius. And the song "Labyrinth" successfully revealed the facets of the singing father's talent.
The finalists performed the next four numbers solo. Era Cannes chose the song "Dark Night" for themselves. The performance of this composition, beloved by many, was quite unexpected. The era made the song of the war years sound modern and deep.
The audience in the hall reacted very warmly to the young performer, and the mentor handed her a huge bouquet of red roses. Basta, after the performance of his ward, became a real "Santa Claus" of the show "Voice". Polina Gagarina got the same chic bouquet, Gradsky - a T-shirt, Leps - a hat, with the image of the symbol of the coming year - a monkey.
Then the solo sounded performed by the contestant, to whom all the judges turned at the "blind auditions". Olga Zadonskaya performed the immortal hit "I will survive". A red evening dress with a deep slit did its job, and Zadonskaya looked on stage like a real Hollywood star. The performance was also worthy, Olga very organically and easily fit into the final with this song, which managed to reveal all the possibilities of the beautiful voice of the blond singer.
Representatives of the strong half of humanity were next on the stage to perform their solo numbers. Mikhail Ozerov chose the composition of the king of rock music Elvis Presley "Unchained Melody". The performance was heartfelt and touched more than one woman's heart. The song became a real gift, sounded from the stage of the country's main vocal show. Alexander Borisovich was very pleased with his student.
The final number of this stage was the song in Italian "Per te" ("For you") performed by Hieromonk Photius. The light show in the form of church stained-glass windows and the voice of a man whose life is dedicated to God left an indelible impression. Father Photius sang with all his heart, and undoubtedly managed to kindle the flames of faith in many hearts listening to him.
At this stage, the participants showed everything they were capable of. Each performance was truly a masterpiece. According to the terms of the show, only three contestants who received the largest number of votes went to the next round. And left the show Era Cannes. The young singer thanked the mentors, was touching and gentle, and in parting she sang the song of the No Doubt group "Don" t speak ".
Meanwhile, voting continued as the members prepared their final compositions. The only representative of the fair sex who remained in the battle, Olga Zadonskaya, sang the song of her mentor "The performance is over." A full-fledged number with the participation of the ballet created the impression that the viewer was at a Zadonskaya concert. The blonde was not inferior to Polina Gagarina in the performance of this composition.
Mikhail Ozerov was next on stage to perform his last song. He also performed the hit of his mentor. The composition fully revealed the wide range of Mikhail's voice. An interesting solution in the number was backing vocals, which were performed by members of the Gradsky team. Michael gave all his best on the stage at 100 percent. He really sang like the last time, showing himself incredibly strong.
The final song in the struggle was "Good night, gentlemen", which was sung by Father Fotiy. An example of dignity and strength in spirit was the hieromonk on this project. The song he performed undoubtedly reminded many viewers that there are things in life that are more important than everyday routine fuss.
According to the voting results, Olga Zadonskaya got the third place. Thanking her mentor, she left the stage with tears in her eyes. And the agonizing wait before the announcement of the winner was diluted by the mentors of the project. During the counting of votes, each of the star teachers thanked the finalists and everyone who was involved in this grandiose show. The host deserved special praise - unsurpassed.
And now, the long-awaited announcement of the winner... Hieromonk Photius became the best vote in the country, ahead of Mikhail Ozerov by almost 50 percent of the vote. Mikhail, who took second place, thanked Alexander Borisovich and said goodbye to everyone. Now all attention was focused on the winner of the project. As a gift, Father Fotiy received a car and a certificate for recording a solo album. After the congratulations, the winner, visibly worrying, very sincerely thanked all the participants of the project.
So, the country has chosen its winner! The worthy winner of the fourth season of the show "Voice" at the end again presented all viewers with a heartfelt composition "Per te". And in the end, all four finalists sang the song "The Last Hour of December", congratulating the audience and participants of the show on the upcoming New Year.
Hieromonk Fotiy is the only clergyman in Russia who managed to become famous thanks to a television project. Despite all the devotion to his monastery, music and a love of singing occupied a huge place in his soul from childhood.
That is why, having enlisted the support of his fellows, he ventured to try his hand at the vocal television project "Voice". The sincerity and sincerity of the singer so sunk into the souls of the judges and viewers that, according to the results of the final vote, he managed to gain a record number of votes and become the winner of the fourth season.
Childhood of Hieromonk Photius
Vitaly Mochalov (in the future Hieromonk Photius) was born on November 11, 1985 in a city called Gorky, which was eventually renamed Nizhny Novgorod. From an early age, the boy was fond of music and knew deep down in his soul that his life would be connected with creativity.At the age of 7, the young man could boast of a good piano playing and a good voice. He received basic skills at a local music school, which for a long time did not want to teach a talented young man, citing the fact that he had unsuitable fingers. Having coped with all the difficulties, he still managed to graduate from school in the piano class.
To improve his skills, the guy signed up for the school choir, and also sang along with his mother at every opportunity. By the way, she graduated from the same music school at one time. Doing what he loves, Vitaly did not even suspect that very soon his voice would begin to “break”.
As soon as this happened, he decided to attend church school and continue to sing in the choir. The days flew by, the boy grew up and moved further and further away from his classmates. After finishing 9 classes, Vitaly applied to a music school, where he hoped to gain new knowledge.
After studying for only 1 year, he was forced to leave school and move with his parents to the German city of Kaiserslautern. In order not to lose what he had learned, the guy continued to study music and singing, but this time he chose the organ instead of the piano.
At this time, Fotiy began to actively perform at concerts, and also often took part in church services, thus earning his first money. Years passed, but the young man could not get used to a foreign country, so in 2005 he decided to return to his homeland.
Hieromonk Photius and the church
In 2005, when the young man turned 20, he returned to Russia and entered the service at St. Pafnutevsky Monastery in the Kaluga region. It was during this period of his life that an ordinary guy, whom his parents named Vitaly, turned into hieromonk Photius. He made the decision on his own, so the relatives did not even try to convince their son. 
Once in the church, the guy continued to study music and even more, made a lot of efforts to improve his voice. In this he was helped by the honored teacher Viktor Tvardovsky, who spoke very flatteringly about the guy. He considered him a kind, bright and intelligent young man with a strong character.
In addition to music, Fotiy is also fond of photography and the study of various foreign languages. In a relatively short time, he managed to perfectly master English and German. In addition to this, he is able to perform almost any song in Japanese, Italian and Georgian.
Hieromonk Fotiy plays a role in the production of "Our Fatherland - Holy Rus'"
After completing his studies with Tvardovsky, Fotiy studied vocals for a long time, using special exercises that were developed by a respected teacher. And only in 2010 the guy took monastic vows, and after 3 years he officially became a hieromonk.
Hieromonk Fotiy and the show "Voice"
Hieromonk Photius was supposed to participate in the Voice project back in 2013, he was even invited to the casting, but at that time he was not ready to go for a blessing. In fact, he did not immediately dare to submit an application, as he believed that a clergyman had no place on such a show. 
After some time, the guy rethought everything and realized that the "Voice" is, first of all, a talent contest, and only then a TV show. Gathering his thoughts, he went to a serious conversation with confessors and metropolitans to convince them to let him go to the competition. In general, it took him 2 years, because he dared to apply again only in 2015.
Once on the show, Photius tried in every possible way not to tarnish the honor of the monastery and the dignity of the entire church. Perhaps faith helped him to cope with all the difficulties, and perhaps the numerous prayers of the abbots and spiritual fathers. In fact, when he came to the show, the guy did not want fame and universal recognition, but rather to push and encourage all people to self-improvement through music.
Finding himself on the big stage for the first time, the hieromonk did not lose his head and elegantly performed an aria from Eugene Onegin. Unfortunately, only Grigory Leps was impressed by his work, because it was he who turned to the participant.
Hieromonk Photius "Good night, gentlemen" (Finale - Voice)
As Photius himself later admitted, he dreamed of getting into the team with Alexander Gradsky, but fate decreed otherwise. Despite this, his idol nevertheless paid attention to him and even agreed to perform Lensky's aria from the opera Eugene Onegin with him.
At first, the jury members did not even guess that the clergyman would be able to reach the final, but deep in their hearts they were glad of this. At the end of the project, Grigory Leps was very proud of his ward, as he managed to meet all his expectations. Four contestants were lucky enough to fight for the main prize of the Voice show: Era Cannes (Basta's team), Mikhail Ozerov (Alexander Gradsky's team), Olga Zadonskaya (Polina Gagarina's team) and Hieromonk Fotiy (Grigory Leps' team).
In December 2015, the clergyman performed the song Per te (“For you”) and conquered all viewers with it. During the live broadcast, more than 900,000 viewers voted for him. As a result, he won a phenomenal victory with 75% of all votes. Officially becoming the winner, he was handed the keys to a brand new car. Monk Photius serves in St. Pafnutiev Monastery
At one time, being already a clergyman, the guy dreamed of repaying his debt to the Motherland and becoming a military man. Unfortunately, the doctors discovered vision problems and refused him. Since then, he devoted all his free time to music and the church.
Perhaps it was thanks to his perseverance and determination that he managed not only to win the show, but also to teach a lesson to all people who doubt their abilities.
Hieromonk Photius today
In February 2016, Timur Kizyakov, host of the TV program “So far, everyone is at home,” visited Hieromonk Photius. The meeting took place in the tea room of St. Pafnutiev Monastery. During the tea party, Hieromonk Joseph, Photius and his entire support group were sitting at the table, which helped to cope with all the difficulties on the Voice show.Monastery choir, winner of the television show "Voice".
| Hieromonk Photius | |
|---|---|
| Vitaly Vladimirovich Mochalov | |
| Name at birth | Vitaly Vladimirovich Mochalov |
| Date of Birth | 11th of November(1985-11-11 ) (33 years) |
| Place of Birth |
|
| A country |
USSR USSR → Russia Russia |
| Service place | Pafnutevo-Borovsky Monastery |
| San | hieromonk |
| Known as | singer, priest, choir director |
| Church | ROC |
Biography
Born into a non-religious family. He graduated from secondary school No. 77 in Nizhny Novgorod.
At a young age, he prepared to become a musician, studied piano, sang solo at a music school and in a children's church choir. He dreamed of becoming a composer, writing music for films. At the age of 16, he interrupted his studies at a music school, where he studied at the department of music theory. After completing one course, in 2002 he emigrated with his whole family to Germany. Lived in Kaiserslautern. There he learned to play the organ. He earned money by playing the organ at Catholic and Protestant church services, participated in organ concerts.
On January 2, 2011, in the church in honor of the Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt in the city of Balabanov, Borovsky District, Kaluga Region, Metropolitan Kliment (Kapalin) of Kaluga and Borovsk was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon.
On August 24, 2012, in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God of the Borovsky Pafnutev Monastery, the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Seraphim, was tonsured into the robe with the name Photius in honor of the martyr Photius of Nicomedia.
At the first "blind" audition, he performed Lensky's aria from the opera Eugene Onegin. As soon as Hieromonk Photius sang the first lines at the blind audition: “Where, where, where have you gone, my golden days?” arias with him. He got into the team of Grigory Leps, with whom he reached the final and won a victory in the project. The next day, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill congratulated the winner:
Congratulations to Father Fotiy on winning the Voice contest. The enterprise from the very beginning was very controversial and even, I would like to say, dangerous for the monk. Because the stage and the monastic vocation are, as it were, incompatible. But the result, surprisingly, turned out to be positive - I think, both for Father Photius, and for everyone who listened to him and who fell in love with him. And therefore, congratulating Father Photius, I would like to wish him to preserve that naturalness of behavior, modesty, which is inherent in the monastic rank and by which people - both ecclesiastical and non-ecclesiastical - determine the spiritual state of a clergyman. Keep in your heart what I wish you in a difficult time for you, coming after winning the competition. I would also like to remember that the monastic path you have chosen in its meaning and meaning exceeds the victory that you won. After all, many voted not only for the voice, but also for the image.
In January 2016, information appeared in the media that the hierarchy did not give Father Photius blessing to continue participating in festivals and concerts.
On September 22, 2016, at a meeting of abbots and abbesses in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Hieromonk Pafnuty, acting abbot of the St. Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery, asked Patriarch Kirill:
What to do with the resident of the monastery, the "Voice of Russia" hieromonk Photius, who is constantly on tour, raised a lot of capital ... when one correspondent asked Father Photius the question: "Why did you start singing?" - Father Fotiy answered: "I got bored in the monastery." I appeal to Your Holiness: help me, what should I do with him? After all, he not only sings, but also speaks ...
To which the Patriarch replied:
Here it turned out that a very young monk gained nationwide fame and, most importantly, nationwide sympathy. If there was only glory, and there was no such love of people, I would use my power and forbid him to speak. But I know how many people discover the Orthodox faith for themselves through Father Photius.
Hieromonk Photius denied accusations that he was bored in the monastery, and he still performs monastic obediences.
Part of the funds he collects from concerts goes to restoration or construction work in temples that need help.
Hieromonk Photius is a monk, director of the monastery choir, winner of a television show and the only clergyman in Russia who gained popularity after participating in a musical television show. The monk is sensitive to the selection of material for performance. Fotiy's repertoire includes Russian romances beloved by listeners, classic pop hits of the last century, arias from popular operas, rock classics and recognized foreign hits.
Childhood and youth
Vitaly Mochalov was born in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) on November 11, 1985 in a non-religious family. At school age, he attended a local music school, where he studied vocals and piano. In addition, the boy sang in the school choir, often soloed. Since childhood, Mochalov dreamed of becoming a composer and writing music and songs. In adolescence, when his voice began to break, Vitaly attended a church school, where he also sang in the choir.
On May 31, the monk spoke in Pskov. The musician performed old romances and pop hits. On June 7, 2017, the singer's solo concert took place in Moscow, at the Crocus City Hall. Fotiy's guests were his colleagues in the "Voice" - Renata Volkievich. Later, in an interview, the hieromonk mentioned that for the first time he spoke to such a large audience that it turned out to be exciting for him.
Russian viewers in 2015 could watch how a modest monk became the winner of the Voice show, beating hundreds and thousands of other contenders. For some, this event caused indignation, for others, indignation, but few remained indifferent. Hieromonk Photius (in the world Vitaly Mochalov) is a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church, the abbot of the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky monastery in the Kaluga region, the first priest who gained fame after a television project.
Childhood and youth of the future star
Vitaly Mochalov was born on November 11, 1985 in the city of Gorky(now Nizhny Novgorod). The family was not religious. From childhood, the boy was fond of music and attended a music school, where he studied singing and playing the piano. Already as a teenager, Vitaly sang in the church choir, and also often soloed in the school team. After school, Vitaly decides to enter a music school with a degree in music theory.
But a year later, the whole family decides to emigrate to Germany, the city of Kaiserslautern. There, the young man does not leave his passion and learns to play the organ. Vitaly even earned money by playing the organ at concerts in Catholic and Protestant churches.
The young man came to faith on his own. At the age of 7, he asked his mother to go and baptize him, as he was afraid that he would not be able to become an angel. Mom and son were baptized, but churching happened later. After visiting the children's Orthodox camp "Blagovest", Vitaly returned home different. He completely plunged into the atmosphere of Orthodox life, communion with God, attended services, worked, sang in the kliros.
The path to the monastery
After living in Germany for three years, Vitaliy without parents returned to Russia with a firm decision to leave worldly life, the opportunity to be married, money, success and become a monk. The future priest began his ministry in the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery of the Kaluga diocese. His spiritual father was the well-known confessor Schema-Archimandrite Vlasy, to whom many believers turn for advice. When Vitaly still had doubts about choosing his life path, it was Vlasy who suggested that he stay in the monastery.
First, Vitaly was tonsured a monk, in 2011 he was ordained a hierodeacon, and in 2012 he received the rank of hieromonk under the name Photius (the meaning of this name from the Greek language is “light”). Subsequently, the priest became the regent of the choir of this monastery.
The talented teacher Viktor Tvardovsky was engaged in the training of the monastery choristers. With him, the priest again became interested in vocals and began to sing actively. According to Photius himself, Victor helped him "tune" his voice, and Photius still uses the exercises of his author's technique.
The monk had many hobbies besides singing. In the monastery, he was engaged in the design and layout of parish publications, was fond of photography and video editing. There was even a possibility that Photius would go to serve in the army, and the monk himself was going to pay his debt to his homeland, but due to vision problems, he was not drafted into the army. Fotiy is fluent in German and English.
Show "Voice"
The idea of participating in the Voice came to the monk a long time ago. Back in 2013, he sent an application and was even invited to the casting. But that year, the priest did not dare to ask for blessings from the church authorities. Photius decided to try his luck again in 2015, and then Channel One wrote an official letter to Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk with a request to let the hieromonk go to the show. The answer was positive, the church authorities blessed Photius.
The blind auditions were the show's first major challenge. The hieromonk performed Lensky's aria from the opera Eugene Onegin. Only Grigory Leps turned around. It was clear how the priest was a little shocked by such a course of events, because, according to him, he planned to get to Alexander Gradsky. Photius' first thought was: "What will I do with Grigory Leps?"
But further events showed that this was the best option, because Gregory led the monk to victory. Leps, even immediately at a blind audition, gave an idea for a future song, which he whispered in Photius's ear. It turned out that this is the composition "On the road to Zagorsk", which was performed in the quarterfinals.
On his way in the project, Fotiy performed a diverse repertoire:
- composition by Andrea Bocelli;
- the poignant "Monologue" to the verses of Akhmatova;
- romance "On the road to Zagorsk";
- the song "Good night, gentlemen" in the finale;
- composition "Labyrinths" in a duet with Grigory Leps.
As a winner song Fotiy sang Josh Groban's soulful composition "Perte" (For you). The singer generally respects Groban's work and often performs another of his compositions "Aligote" (Go away).
The jury members treated the priest very warmly and with great respect. Vasily Vakulenko (Basta) even asked for blessings, and Alexander Gradsky invariably defended and praised the unusual contestant.
When the project approached the audience voting, there was no longer any doubt that Photius would win. After all, the priest was ahead of his competitors by a huge margin, over and over again only increasing the percentage. The people responded and were imbued with the good nature, modesty and sincere performance of the monk. Many voted not so much for singing, but for the image, for courage.
After the victory, Patriarch Kirill himself congratulated Photius. In his message, he noted that the event was initially very controversial and raised doubts, because pop and fame are incompatible with monasticism. But the result exceeded all expectations. The patriarch also wished Photius to keep that modesty and naturalness of behavior in a difficult time after the competition and noted that the monastic path he had chosen exceeded the victory he won.
Monk Photius after a burst of fame
Of course, the fallen fame radically changed the work and life of Hieromonk Photius. Now he leads an active concert activity, communicates on social networks and can no longer just be a monk in a monastery. We have to combine monastic and secular life. In 2016, there was even a danger that Fotiy would leave the stage and concert activity.
Information appeared in the media that the acting abbot of the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky Monastery asked the patriarch what to do with Photius, because he not only sings, but also gives various interviews through which people form an idea of Orthodoxy and monasticism. In particular, an episode was mentioned in which Photius said that he “became bored” in the monastery. The patriarch replied that through Father Photius, many discover the Orthodox faith for themselves, the monk has not only fame, but also people's love. Therefore, the patriarch did not use his authority and forbid the priest to speak.
Other clergy also generally positively assess the activities of Photius. After all, if at least one person thinks about faith, comes to the temple thanks to the singing and speeches of the priest, this will already be a small victory and a good deed.
Active touring activity now occupies all the time of Hieromonk Photius. The latest news can please fans: the priest’s schedule is scheduled for many months in advance. The repertoire includes arias from famous operas, foreign hits, classical pop compositions. Photius, as a rule, performs in small chamber halls. Kirov, Pskov, St. Petersburg, Obninsk, Moscow - this is not a complete list of cities where the hieromonk spoke. In June 2017, a big solo concert was given at the Crocus City Hall.
In social networks, you can easily find the accounts of Photius (hieromonk), where all the news and the concert program are now actively published. Various compositions, live recordings from concerts are posted on his VKontakte page, and you can also see a lot of enthusiastic responses from the audience.
In his Instagram profile, Fotiy likes to make his fans laugh. For example, not so long ago he posted a video where he sings into a microphone, and then quickly eats the singing agent, because it was chocolate. Often the priest also appears on television, gives interviews, was a guest on variety shows on Channel One:
- "Evening Urgant";
- "Alone with everyone";
- "While everyone is at home";
- "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" along with another winner of the Voice, Sergei Volchkov.
Released in September 2016 debut album "Romances". The disc contains works by great composers: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov.
The priest admits that it is not easy for him to cope with the new way of life, but he tries to maintain the correct monastic attitude. The ability to retire, that is, to live in a separate room, is the only requirement in his rider on tour. How his fate will develop further, time will tell, but so far Hieromonk Photius pleases and inspires hundreds and thousands of people with his voice.
