The Symphony Orchestra of Belarusian State Academy of Music has always held a special place in the institution’s creative life. It has trained countless musicians, who have joined and continue to join orchestral ensembles across Belarus every year.
At various times, the orchestra was led by talented conductors such as P.Kirilchenko, V.Mnatsakanov, A.Lapunov, N.Kolyadko, P.Vandilovsky, M.Anisimov, A.Galanov, V.Ovodok, and others. From 1992 to October 2012, the “Young Belarus” ensemble was led by People’s Artist of Belarus, Professor Mikhail Kozinets. The conductor’s musical priorities and creative credo can be judged by the works that make up the Orchestra’s repertoire: masses and oratorios by J.S.Bach, symphonic works by W.A.Mozart, L.Beethoven, J.Brahms, C.Franck, G.Berlioz, C.Debussy, M.Ravel, G.Bizet, G.Rossini, J.Strauss; Russian classics are represented by works of P.Tchaikovsky, M.Mussorgsky, A.Borodin, S.Rachmaninoff, D.Shostakovich, S.Prokofiev. Musical premieres widely feature works by Belarusian composers: A.Bogatyrev, E.Glebov, D.Smolsky, A.Mdivani, G.Gorelova, V.Kuryan, and A.Litvinovsky. The Orchestra has toured various cities in Italy and Belgium, and was enthusiastically received on Reunion Island (a prefecture of France).
Since 1994, the Orchestra has regularly performed at music festivals in France (Summer of the Grand Garden), Germany (New Year’s Musical Evenings, and the Wagner Festival). The Orchestra gives an annual concert series at Belarusian State Philharmonic Society Hall in Minsk and in various Belarusian cities, including Brest, Gomel, Mogilev, Molodechno, and Vileika. The Orchestra’s collaboration with musicians from Germany, France, Russia, and Turkey has been fruitful and engaging, including conductors Georg Meiss (Germany) and Jean-Marie Quennon (France), and performers Arkady Volodos (baritone), François Chateau (flute), Philippe Berraud (clarinet), and Hugo Leclair (piano). The Orchestra has also performed with teachers and students from the educational institution, including People’s Artist of Belarus I.Olovnikov, Professor V.Shatsky, and international competition laureates A.Ponochevny, A.Sikorsky, K.Krasnitsky, and L.Yanpolskaya.
Since October 1, 2012, the Orchestra has been led by People’s Artist of Belarus, Professor Alexander Anisimov. The Orchestra has given a number of concerts in Belarus and abroad. For example, on September 19, 2013, it performed at the Great Hall of Moscow State Conservatory named after P.Tchaikovsky as part of the project “Parade of Symphony Orchestras of Conservatories of the CIS Member States for the 150th Anniversary of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.Tchaikovsky”.
Since September 2015, the Orchestra has been led by Andrei Ivanov, conductor of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus. The Orchestra is actively involved in major projects, such as the one performed in Paris on October 17, 2017 as part of the international project “Cultural Diplomacy. Youth Musical Bridges: Belarus and France. On the 500th Anniversary of Belarusian Book Printing”. In October-November 2017, conductor Andrei Ivanov and students participated in master classes and tours with the Youth Belarusian-Russian Symphony Orchestra in Moscow and Minsk. Subsequently, the Orchestra was directed by N.Makarevich and A.Sosnovsky.
Today, the orchestra is led by Alexander Shatov.
The creative group has prepared a number of vibrant concert programs: “Conservatory Evening” at Belarusian State Philharmonic Society, where they presented the one-man show “Blizzard”, based on the story by A.Pushkin, with musical illustrations by G.Sviridov.
On November 15, 2025, the Minsk Arena hosted the spectacular show “On the Shore of the Sky” by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Dima Bilan, featuring the Symphony Orchestra of Belarusian State Academy of Music.
The Symphony Orchestra is a participant in the educational and creative projects “Youth Musical Bridge” and “Youth Symphony Orchestra”.
