THE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF RUSSIA

The Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia led by Yuri Bashmet was established in 2012. The orchestra consists of over one hundred young musicians from various Russian cities aged between ten and twenty-two. The orchestra participants were selected in the course of the large-scale all-Russian competition of classical music performers aimed at identifying musically gifted children and youth. The qualifying rounds of the first competition lasted for seven months throughout the Russian Federation. The finalists of the competition received a unique opportunity to perform in the orchestra’s debut concerts in November 2012 in Sochi.

The orchestra’s successful performances confirmed the importance of the project. At present, the YSOR activities play a key role in attracting public attention to the professional music education of children and youth and the development of the cultural environment in Russia. The YSOR qualifying rounds take place every two years in all federal districts of Russia. The auditions are open to students of higher music institutions and pupils of children’s music schools, art schools, and music colleges aged from ten to twenty-one.

---

In October 2013, after a rehearsal session in Moscow, the orchestra went on its first Russian tour with concerts in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, and Ekaterinburg.

In February 2014, the YSOR became the only symphony orchestra to perform at all official ceremonies of the XXII Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi.

In June 2014, the YSOR went on its first international tour with concerts in Brussels, Geneva, St Petersburg, and Moscow. The final concert of the tour took place in the Grand Hall of the Philharmonie Berlin.

In June 2015, the orchestra toured Russia, with concerts in Moscow, Tyumen, and the final concert in the Olympic Park in Sochi.

From April to September 2016, major all-Russian auditions for the orchestra took place in cooperation with the “Kultura” TV channel. The auditions, rehearsals, and the European tour of the orchestra became part of the thirteen-part TV series “Orchestra of the Future,” which was successfully broadcast on the “Kultura” TV and nominated for a TEFI award.

In autumn 2016, the orchestra toured cities in Russia and Europe. The concerts took place in legendary concert halls: the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Verdi Hall of the Milan Conservatory, and the Musikverein in Vienna.

In February 2017, the orchestra performed at the closing gala concert of the jubilee X Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi.

On 1 June 2017,the International Children’s Day, the YSOR gave a concert at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre as part of the official program of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

On 7 November 2017,the 100th anniversary of the Revolution, the orchestra performed at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow.

In 2018, new auditions for the orchestra took place. In the course of the auditions, a new series of programs entitled “Guide to the Orchestra” was filmed together with the “Kultura” TV channel.

In June 2018, the orchestra took part in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup.

In September 2018, the orchestra went on its first concert tour of Asia, with concerts in Moscow, Vladivostok, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, and Seoul.

On 11 February 2019, as part of the Russian Seasons in Germany project, the orchestra successfully performed in the Grand Hall of the Philharmonie Berlin.

In February 2019, the Winter International Arts Festival in Sochi hosted the first YSOR orchestral academy and featured two concerts of the orchestra.

In September 2019, the orchestra went on its big tour with concerts in ten cities of different Russian regions: Kostroma, Vologda, Uglich, Yaroslavl, Tula, Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Ekaterinburg, and Moscow.

In February 2020 , the orchestra took part in the Yuri Bashmet Festivals in Moscow and Sochi. During the summer of 2020, despite the pandemic, more than 800 young musicians took part in the new auditions for the orchestra.

In June 2020, the orchestra took part in the grand Victory Concert on Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This concert was the first post-pandemic concert with the audience.

In September 2020, the orchestra went on its traditional tour of Russian cities with concerts in Tula, St Petersburg, Kazan, and Moscow.

In autumn 2020, the YSOR initiated a TV marathon of youth orchestras of the world from eighteen countries.

In February 2021 , the orchestra took part in the traditional Yuri Bashmet Winter International Arts Festivals in Moscow and Sochi, with large orchestral academy sessions taking place in Sochi.

On 12 April 2021 , the orchestra took part in the Baikonur Launch Pad concert dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the first human space flight.

On 22 June 2021 , the orchestra performed on the Soaring Bridge of Zaryadye Park in the Requiem concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

In autumn 2021, the orchestra’s annual tour of Russian cities took place.

In January and February 2022 , the orchestra traditionally took part in the Yuri Bashmet Winter International Arts Festivals in Moscow and Sochi and in the large orchestral academy in Sochi.

In 2022, the orchestra opened its branches in Ekaterinburg (Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra) and Krasnoyarsk (Siberian Youth Symphony Orchestra).

On 9 August 2022, the orchestra took part in the concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the performance of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony in besieged Leningrad.

In the summer of 2022 , new auditions for the orchestra took place, with more than one thousand young musicians competing.

On 22 November 2022, the YSOR celebrated its tenth anniversary, its sixth complement giving a concert at the Zaryadye Concert Hall.

On 23 August 2023, the orchestra took part in a grand concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Kursk.

On 27 January 2024, the Gazprom Arena stadium hosted a Requiem concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Leningrad’s complete liberation from the siege. The concert featured Yuri Bashmet, Konstantin Khabensky, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Vladimir Mashkov, Sergey Garmash, Alexander Rosenbaum, Yulia Peresild, Igor Sklyar, SHAMAN, students of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, the spiritual choir of St. Petersburg, the massed choir, and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia.

On 19 and 22 April 2024 , the YSOR performed for the first time in the United Arab Emirates. Its concerts were the first events within the framework of the Memorandum on Cultural Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the UAE, signed in June 2023.

On 17–18 May 2024, the YSOR performed at the Beijing Great Wall Concert at the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China.

A total of over 7,000 young musicians from different regions of Russia took part in the orchestra auditions.

Thanks to the orchestra auditions, Yuri Bashmet’s educational centers for young gifted musicians operate on a permanent basis in seventeen Russian regions. Nine music academies in different areas take place annually. Permanent branches of the orchestra function in the Urals and Siberian Federal Districts.

The Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia has given concerts in nineteen Russian regions and twelve countries.

Former participants of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia now play in leading federal and regional symphony orchestras. Having grown into music professionals, they continue and develop Russia’s cultural traditions.