A chat with Ola Melzig, Technical Supervisor

Ola kindly took time out of his frantic schedule to chat to Junior Eurovision team member Alexandro Kröger Degerfeldt.  He says that all of this started months and months ago with the design and then construction of the stage set which will now be installed in a few days, ready in time for the rehearsals.

When asked about what he thinks about this year’s stage design by Elias Ledakis, Ola said, “I think it's brilliant! It’s very rare that you can implement the ideals of a logotype into a real stage design as fundamentally as it is done in this year’s production. Usually, the two are completely separated.  This one works particularly well.”

Ola also says that he is so excited and happy about this year’s theme for the show: ‘Be creative!’ and the great team behind it all. This is not Ola’s first visit to Kyiv, estimating that since 2004 he has spent at least 250 hotel nights in the city.

In those days he worked with the ‘grown-up’ Eurovision Song Contest 2005 after Ruslana’s ‘Wild Dances’ victory in Instanbul, Turkey 2004.  Five years earlier he worked at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 in Stockholm and has been involved with almost every contest since.

He especially remembers the contest that was held in Malmö, Sweden, in May this year. Ola himself is from Malmö, and the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the first show he had worked with in his own hometown, an honour that he felt rather deeply about.

Back to now. What does he think the future holds for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest? “It's really hard to predict, but I hope that it continues to grow and expand. I think it is a great concept, and a fantastic opportunity for the stars of tomorrow.”

Next week it will finally be time for the 11th edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest where talented young artists from 12 countries will gather and sing together on the stage in Palace of Arts.  After the songs have been sung, celebrations finished and planning starts again for another year, what happens to the incredible stage set?

“The bits and pieces of the set that is rented gear will simply go back to the supplier. Most of the pieces that are specially made for the set will be used in other settings, and we'll try to recycle as much of the material as possible,” so keep your eyes out for any jigsaw pieces in future productions!

Alexandro’s final question for Ola is a personal one.  If he was younger, would he have wanted to compete in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest?  Ola doesn’t hesitate: “Totally! I would have rocked the house!”