The Bayan and Accordion Orchestra of the Belarusian State Academy of Music is a music group that can be fully called an Orchestra of Soloists, as it unites students, most of whom are multiple award winners of numerous international competitions.
The history of the Bayan and Accordion Orchestra at the Academy of Music begins in the late 1960s. The creative formation of the group is associated with the name of an experienced musician, Associate Professor Eduard Lembovich. On his initiative, the Orchestra was organized, he created the repertoire necessary for the starting position, laid a solid foundation for further development. The improvement of bayan performance was continued by PhD in Art History, Professor Valentin Chaban, who significantly expanded the timbre palette and the genre and stylistic range of the repertoire. Over the years, the music group was led by People’s Artist of Belarus, Professor Mikhail Kozinets, senior teacher Robert Nazarenko, teachers Tatiana Chekhovskaya, Sergei Ovodok, Lyudmila Ginko.
In 2002-2014, Vladimir Chernikov, Associate Professor of the Orchestra Conducting Department, headed the Orchestra “Art-Harmonicum”. In 2014-2019 – teacher Vitaly Grishchenko – Laureate of the III All-Russian Competition for Conductors named after V.Dudarova (Moscow, 2015). At present, the Artistic Director and Conductor is Irina Kalenchits, Associate Professor of the Bayan and Accordion Department.
At this stage of development, the Orchestra “Art-Harmonicum” is a full-fledged concert unit in the artistic life of the Academy. The Orchestra is a regular participant in concerts within the cycle “Concerts of creative music groups of the Belarusian State Academy of Music”, and also presents their own programs at various pop venues in Belarus and abroad. Creative achievements of the group: VII International Competition for Young Musicians-Performers “Musical Vladivostok-2012” (Russian Federation, 2012) – I Prize, International Competition “Vilnius-2013” (Lithuania, 2013) – I Prize. In 2021, under the guidance of I.Kalenchits the Bayan and Accordion Orchestra became the winner of two International Competitions: “Concord of Sounds 2021” (Latvia, Jaunmarupe) – I Prize, “Accopremium – 2021” (Belarus, Rechitsa) – I Prize.
The Orchestra’s repertoire includes works by world and Russian classics, Belarusian composers, as well as a wide repertoire of bayan literature. The Orchestra’s performing style is characterized by energetic rhythmic discipline, rich, elegant, juicy sound of tutti, subtle and penetrating alignment of solo episodes, strict metrics and a variety of agogics. The main trend in the Orchestra development is the search for new forms and means of expression in the field of bayan and accordion performance.
Creative projects of the music group in 2022-2023:
