On October 26, 2025, the Second Concert Tour of the large-scale project “Choral Union: Russia – Belarus 2025” concluded at Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.
The Concept of the “Choral Union: Russia – Belarus” project notes that “leading music universities of the union state, Gnesin Russian Academy of Music and Belarusian State Academy of Music, play a crucial role in the preservation and development of choral art”.
According to E. Kurakina, Rector of Belarusian State Academy of Music, PhD in Art History, and Associate Professor, “This unique project unites the spiritual traditions that underlie our shared Russian-Belarusian music culture. The idea of joint choral singing is to encourage people to show their best qualities, to express their love for music, their love for their roots, to enrich themselves spiritually, and to experience the fullness of life”.
The first concert took place at L. Sobinov Saratov State Conservatory (October 23). The artists then performed at M. Glinka Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory, where they were joined by Nizhny Novgorod Conservatory Mixed choir (October 25).
The project’s final concert, featuring a large combined choir, took place at Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. Joining “Altro Coro” (art director and conductor, Russian Federation Government Prize laureate Professor Alexander Ryzhinsky) and the Student choir of Belarusian State Academy of Music (art director and conductor, international competition laureate Associate Professor Inessa Bodyako), the Academic choir of Gnesin Russian Academy of Music took the stage on October 26.
The main innovation of the second concert tour were master classes held in Saratov and Nizhny Novgorod under the direction of Belarusian and Russian conductors: Semyon Klimanov, Inessa Bodyako, Andrei Savritsky, Alexander Ryzhinsky, Alexander Zanorin, Ivan Stolnikov and Denis Morozov.
From October 24th to 31st, M. Glinka Nizhny Novgorod Conservatory is hosting the 6th All-Russian Open Choral Festival named after L. Sivukhin “Offering to the Master” (commemorating his 90th birthday). The Choral Union’s creative events, held on October 25th, 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod, were organized with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives as part of the “Cycle of Educational Projects ‘Choral Union: Russia – Belarus’ ” project and became an integral part of the festival. On October 25th, Associate Professor N. Matsaberidze, Vice-Rector for Research at Belarusian State Academy of Music, PhD in Art History, gave an open lecture entitled “New Choral Music: Rendition of the Belarusian National Tradition in the 21st Century”.
“I hope that the Choral Union will continue to exist, and I want to believe that it will be held at an even higher and more ambitious level”, noted Alexander Ryzhinsky, Rector of Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.
