From February 18 to March 01, 2026, the already legendary XIX Winter International Art Festival will be held in Sochi, artistic director Yuri Bashmet.

The Winter International Art Festival in Sochi is currently one of the most famous and significant cultural forums taking place in Russia. For almost 20 years of its existence, this annual festival has become a “calling card” not only of winter Sochi and the Krasnodar Territory, but also the main cultural venue in Russia, a notable world music event.  The festival attracts the world’s leading musicians and artists, numerous tourists, representatives of Russian and foreign media.

The development strategy of the festival is formed within the framework of a long-term concept, one of the main objectives of which is the formation of a large-scale world-class creative project.

The festival has long become not just a series of concerts and performances, but a real creative laboratory where trends and Russia’s view of the current development of professional art are being formed. A large number of educational projects are being implemented within the framework of the festival, a number of professional competitions are taking place, and a professional conference, which last year brought together more than 350 participants.

An extensive program of various events with the participation of leading Russian and foreign artists and ensembles is planned for the 2026 festival. The festival will feature a number of world premieres and unique projects.

Among the participants of the 2026 festival: Yuri Bashmet and Denis Matsuev, Denis Rodkin and Ildar Abdrazakov, Vadim Repin and Vittorio Grigolo, Evgeny Mironov and Konstantin Khabensky, and many others. Artists and groups from South Africa, China, Italy, Cuba and other countries will perform at the festival.

The Winter International Art Festival in Sochi is the clearest example of how in just over 20 years it has been possible to create a unique large-scale cultural project in Russia and achieve recognition in the global cultural community.

The festival will open on February 18 with the premiere: Polina Agureeva’s production “About Love (5 pounds of Love, 22 misfortunes, 33 tantrums)” will be presented to the public on the stage of the Winter Theater. Addressing Chekhov is always a conversation about a person, about the meaning of life, and almost always about love. Love as an inner depth or as a barren hollow flower? As a desire to find your higher self, or as the tragedy of a life blunder? Why do Chekhov’s “five pounds of love” destroy the lives of literally all his characters? This play is an attempt at dialogue with Chekhov, not with any particular play or story, but with his complex deep worldview, with his reflection on the eternal. Famous actors Karen Badalov, Natalia Kurdyubova, Polina Agureeva, Ilya Shakunov, Maxim Litovchenko and others will take part in the performance. As well as the Moscow Soloists Chamber ensemble conducted by Maestro Bashmet. The composer of the play is Valery Voronov.

The unique performance “Iolanta” will continue the line of theatrical premieres on February 24, where Tchaikovsky’s last opera will be presented in the original version by Yuri Bashmet and directed by Pavel Safonov. The premiere of the play took place in July 2025 against the backdrop of the picturesque ruins of the Demyanovo estate, which became the living setting for the mystical story of Iolanthe, the blind daughter of French King Rene, for whom love becomes the strongest motivation to regain her eyesight and see the “light”. Tchaikovsky’s score will come to life thanks to the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuri Bashmet, and the main roles in the performance will be performed by artists from the Bolshoi Theater’s Youth Opera Program. The Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory (artistic director – Professor Alexander Solovyov) will take part in the performance.

On February 20, for the first time in Russia, the plastic performance “Jiangnan Written in Ink” (China) will be shown. The culture of Jiangnan, a historical region in the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, embodies refined aesthetics, poetic spirituality and exquisite harmony. For centuries, she has been inspired by the masters of ink painting, and those, in turn, have glorified and glorified the image of Jiangnan in their creations. The dance poem “Jiangnan written in Ink”, through the language of choreography and expressive plasticity, transports viewers to this fertile land — spiritual, picturesque, with a rich cultural heritage. The performance reveals the unique charm of Jiangnan and demonstrates the aesthetic perfection of traditional Chinese culture. The production premiered in Nanjing in June 2024. Since then, the play has triumphantly passed almost 30 screenings in Shanghai, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wuxi, Wuhu, Zhenjiang, Yancheng, Lianyungang, Jinhua and Jujun. The Russian premiere of the production will take place at the Sochi Festival.

On February 21, another premiere of the Sochi Festival will take place on the stage of the Winter Theater: the performance-concert “Poor People” with Evgeny Mironov, Yulia Khlynina and the Moscow Soloists chamber ensemble under the direction of Maestro Bashmet. The performance-concert “Poor People”, directed by Murat Abulkatinov, conveys the subtleties of the plot of Dostoevsky’s novel. The role of Makar Devushkin is played by Evgeny Mironov, who reads the text on behalf of the character. According to the idea of the production, it is correspondence with a loved one that awakens a girl’s literary talent. The director’s concept of the play includes not only an adaptation of the classic plot, but also modern accents emphasizing the theme of social injustice, love and despair. A special place in the production is given to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

On February 25, the festival’s theatrical program includes the world premiere of the Baroque opera “The Village Philosopher” performed by the Italian collective La Magnifica Comunità under the baton of Enrico Casazza, a leading conductor and musician in the field of baroque and classical music performed on historical instruments. The buffa opera The Village Philosopher (1754) by Baldassare Galuppi was written to a libretto by Carlo Goldoni. The premiere took place in Venice on October 26, 1754. The opera was a great success in its time, with numerous productions throughout Europe.

The theater program will be completed by the entire festival, which has already become a cult play “Don’t leave your Planet” based on the novel by Exupery “The Little Prince” with Konstantin Khabensky in the main and only role. This performance was born during the Sochi Festival back in 2016 and has been going on with a steady sell-out ever since, no matter what stage it is shown on. The Moscow Soloists Chamber Ensemble conducted by Maestro Bashmet is also a full participant in the performance. The director of photography, the author of literary composition, set designer and costume designer is Viktor Kramer, the composer is Kuzma Bodrov. This year, in Sochi, the play will celebrate its first anniversary – 10 years since its creation. And it is symbolic that he will return to the stage of the Winter Theater again, where everything just began.

The concert program turned out to be no less intense. The opening gala concert of the festival will be held on February 19. This evening, outstanding soloists will perform on the stage of the Sochi Winter Theater: Denis Matsuev, Vadim Repin, Ildar Abdrazakov, as well as creative teams – the Moscow Soloists Chamber Ensemble and the All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra. The artistic director and chief conductor is Maestro Yuri Bashmet at the conductor’s desk.

A traditional jazz evening will be held on February 23. This year it will be presented by artists from Cuba. CUBAN SAX QUINTET is a unique musical project that represents an amazing combination of the Cuban musical tradition and the spirit of modern jazz. The quintet consists of five outstanding Cuban saxophone players united by a common passion for music and a desire to impress with their virtuosity and energy. Herman Velasco and Cesar Lopez were members of the Irakere group at various times (“Irakere” is a legendary Cuban band founded by a brilliant pianist, winner of 7 Grammy Awards – Chucho Valdez).

The final Gala concert of the XIX Winter International Yuri Bashmet Art Festival in Sochi will be held on February 28. This evening, leading musicians and creative teams will gather on the stage of the Winter Theater: Yuri Bashmet, Italian opera singer Vittorio Grigolo, Juliana Grigoryan (soprano), Alexander Knyazev (cello), the All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra and many others.

Two evenings of the festival will be dedicated to ballet. Academic dance will be presented on February 22 in the evening “Choreography of Fate”, dedicated to Yuri Grigorovich. The prima ballerinas and premieres of the best Russian theaters will perform on stage: the Bolshoi, Mariinsky and Moscow Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko – Denis Rodkin, Eleonora Sevenard, Anna Nikulina, Maria Ilyushkina, Artem Ovcharenko, Oksana Kardash and others.

The evening of modern ballet will be held on February 28 and will be presented by the production “Zion. Requiem for Ravel’s Bolero” performed by the Vuyani Dance Theater (South Africa). When designing his performance, South African choreographer Gregory Makoma drew inspiration from two sources. The hypnotic magic was provided by Ravel’s “Bolero”, in which the director, among other things, heard an analogy to the ritual funeral rhythms of his homeland. Another source was the work of the famous South African writer Zakes Mda. The first part of the production’s title and the main character, Toloka’s professional mourner, are borrowed from his novel Zion. But instead of telling a story, Makoma creates a dance requiem. The universe of greed and injustice has turned us all into professional mourners. But it is in sorrow, the director believes, that people are more likely to unite.
The French composer’s relentless orchestral crescendo was rearranged in the South African isikatamiya style, an a cappella song form. The combination of borrowings from Western and South African culture gives the narrative a universal, universal sound.
On February 27, a traditional children’s day will be held on the stage of the Winter Theater. A jazz concert “Around the World in 90 Days” performed by a Large jazz Orchestra conducted by Peter Vostokov will be presented for young and large audiences.
As in previous years, the festival will not be limited to the main venue, the Winter Theater. A special program awaits the guests of the forum also in the Chamber and Organ Music Hall of Sochi.
The Marathon of Romanistic Sonatas (jointly with the St. Petersburg House of Music), the Fifth Organ Marathon, chamber concerts, a Poetry Tournament and the annual, Twelfth International Competition for Young Composers dedicated to Alfred Schnittke and Svyatoslav Richter will continue here. The hall will also host a vocal evening dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the People’s Artist of Russia, composer Alexander Tchaikovsky, a chamber evening “Creative Union – the first 25!” by Ksenia Bashmet (piano) and Oleg Bugaev (cello) and a concert by the All–Russian Youth Orchestra of National Instruments of the Peoples of Russia “Modern Musical Map of Russia”.
The Chamber and Organ Music Hall will also host the annual gala concerts of the departments of the International Music Academy. In addition, a school for young journalists writing about culture, a School for a young producer, and a Photography school will be developed within the framework of the Festival. One of the events for the professional environment is the annual International Conference of Directors of Cultural Institutions in Russia, Europe and Asia, as well as meetings of the Lecture Hall. In addition, the results of the 5th Argus-2025 photography competition will be summed up at the festival. Photography is among the arts.”
And some of the concerts will go beyond academic venues and gather the audience at the Sochi Sea Station and Adler Railway Station.

Источник: https://t.me/russian_concert_agency