ABOUT US
Russian Concert Agency is a leading Russian production company in the field of classical music and academic art, specializing in large-scale cultural projects in Russia and abroad. For more than twenty years, the agency has been managing leading Russian and foreign ensembles and soloists, discovering and supporting young performers and composers.
Festivals
Among the annual Russian projects of the Russian Concert Agency are the Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi (since 2008), international music festivals in Yaroslavl (since 2009), Khabarovsk (since 2010), Rostov-on-Don (since 2013), Klin (since 2014), the Southern Urals (since 2018), and others. The festivals are known for their special atmosphere and Yuri Bashmet’s unique style and are broadly popular among music fans, including the leading Russian and foreign media. The Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi makes the world’s top twenty music festivals.
Special projects
An important area of the RCA work since 2020 is its special projects. These are large-scale gala concerts dedicated to the most significant events in Russian history. The first project of this type was the Victory Concert on Mamaev Kurgan in the Year of Memory and Glory (2020) that marked the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The RCA’s special projects also include the concert at Baikonur on the jubilee of the first human space flight (2021), a Requiem concert on the Soaring Bridge in Zaryadye Park (2021), “The Leningrad Symphony on the Neva” concert (2022), the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Battle of Kursk concert (2023), the concert in honor of the 80th anniversary of the complete lifting of the Siege of Leningrad (2024), Boldino “Reflections” concert dedicated to the 225th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin (2024), and others.
Concert “Anniversary of Human Space Flight”
Among the RCA’s projects abroad, the most important are the annual international music festival “Sulle vie del Prosecco” (Italy, since 2013), the concert series “Russian Nights in Nice” (2012), and the 20th anniversary world tour of the chamber ensemble Moscow Soloists (2012). Another special RCA project is the series of concerts “Antonio Stradivari’s Instruments in World Capitals” taking place in Vienna, Rome, Warsaw, Berlin, London, and Moscow, where the Moscow Soloists under the direction of Yuri Bashmet play historical musical instruments from the State Collection of Unique Musical Instruments of Russia.
International Music Festival “Sulle vie del Prosecco”
Concert “Antonio Stradivari’s Instruments in the Capitals of the World”
“Yuri Bashmet – to the young talents of Russia”
The development of professional education in the field of classical music is a key aspect of the RCA’s work. The long-standing all-Russian project “Yuri Bashmet to the Young Talents of Russia” ensures successful work of educational centers and annual music academies in twenty regions of Russia that introduce young talented musicians to the professional music community.
Regional Educational Center of Yuri Bashmet in Chelyabinsk
Children’s Music Academy of the CIS and Baltic States
under the patronage of Yu.A. Bashmet
Maestro Bashmet’s idea of building the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia (YSOR) was implemented by the RCA in 2012. The orchestra was formed in course of the unique competition of classical music performers, the scale of which helped identify musically gifted children throughout the entire Russian Federation. The first orchestra consisted of 79 young musicians aged 10 to 22 from 40 cities of Russia. Today, the YSOR is a brilliant ensemble bringing up musicians of the highest professional level. Since 2012, the orchestra has given concerts in 19 Russian regions and 12 countries; it participated in the closing ceremony of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Russia; it is also a regular participant in major Russian creative projects. In 2024, the YSOR received the status of the state budgetary cultural institution.
All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra. Founder, artistic director and chief conductor – Yuri Bashmet
The RCA is the organizer of the Russia’s only viola international competition Viola Masters founded by Maestro Bashmet in 1993 to develop the best traditions of Russian musical culture and performing arts and to encourage and support young talented violists from different countries.
Productions
Another important area of the RCA’s work is its musical-dramatic productions, which are often made jointly with Russia’s leading theatres. Among these productions are “Eugene Onegin,” “Fantastic Carmen,” “Don’t Leave Your Planet” based on A. de Saint-Exupéry’s “Le Petit Prince,” the fantasy “Fortunatissimo, or The Hopelessly Happy Man” on the theme of “The Barber of Seville”, “A Gentle Creature” (together with the Maly Theatre), “The Living and the Dead” (together with Gogol Theatre), “The Cathedral Clergy” (together with the Gogol Theatre), “The Innermost People,” “Hamlet,” and “Van Gogh. Letters to Brother.” The performances engage prominent Russian actors including Konstantin Khabensky, Evgeny Mironov, Sergey Garmash, Evgeny Stychkin, Ilya Shakunov, Andrey Merzlikin, Polina Agureeva, Olga Lomonosova, and Olga Litvinova.
“Don’t leave your planet”
The Russian Concert Agency has always paid close attention to contemporary Russian and foreign composers and commissioned works by authors from various countries. Since 2015, the annual international competition for composers in memory of Alfred Schnittke and Svyatoslav Richter is part of the Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi.
The RCA organizes and holds concerts and major musical events in Moscow, St Petersburg, and other Russian cities. Among its particularly successful projects are maestro Bashmet’s anniversary festivals, the Moscow Soloists anniversary tour, and concerts by leading Russian and world performers.