A Moscow native, Natalia Illinichna Ionova, better known as Glu’koza, was first a child actress working in television. Among other projects, she shot a few episodes of the still-popular kids’ show Ералаш (Jumble; Yeralash). She was discovered in 2002 by the record producer Maxim Fadeev on the set of the Russian war movie Триумф (Triumph). […]

Sataney Setgalievna “Sati” Kazanova, was born in a small village in Kabardino-Balkaria, which lies in Russia’s Caucuses Mountains, along the border with Georgia. When she was 12, her family moved to the regional capital of Nalchik, where she began to seriously study music. Sati continued her studies in Vocals at Kabardino-Balkaria College of Culture and […]

Irakli Pirtskhalava was born in Moscow to a Georgian family. While he dreamed of playing soccer, his mother insisted that he go to music school. Irakli was just five years old at the time. At 13, he left music and played soccer, still a passion for him, for two years but realized. However, he was […]

Dima Bilan was born in Karachay-Cherkessia, a republic in Russia’s Caucasus region. He entered a specialty musical school in the fifth grade, where he studied primarily the accordion. He also took part in several youth contests in Karachay-Cherkessia and in Moscow. He entered the prestigious Gnessin Musical Academy in 2000. He met his future producer, […]

Born into a family of musicians, Yulia Savicheva performed her first solo at age five. In 1994, her father’s band was invited to perform in Moscow, and she moved there from her native Kurgan, a city of about 350,000 in south-west Siberia. In Moscow, she studied ballet and theater for many years, helping her to […]

The International Winter Festival is an annual musical festival that takes place in December at Arts Square. This year, there were performances and exhibitions by the St. Petersburg Philharmonia, the Mikhailovsky Theater, the Theater of Musical Comedy, the Museum-Monument “St. Isaac’s Cathedral”, and the Russian State Museum. This year the festival celebrated the anniversaries of […]

Growing up listening to symphonic works of Beethoven, Liszt, and Wagner and being involved with orchestra throughout my musical career, I have developed a deep love for the symphony orchestra. During my time in St. Petersburg, I have mainly viewed musical concerts at the Mariinsky Theaters. Although I have enjoyed all the performances that I […]

The Russia School of Classical Music has greatly contributed to the genre of symphonic music. By the beginning of the 20th century, many Western composers were influenced by Russian music. Studying in St. Petersburg, I am glad that I have the opportunity to attend symphonic concerts that feature Russian composers. I have already seen several […]

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was one the greatest Russian composers who lived during the Soviet Era. Prokofiev composed for many genres (symphonies, operas, ballets) and he composed music for movies, including Sergei Eisenstein’s films Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible. Being a huge fan of Valery Gergiev as a conductor, a musician, and as a music […]