The Gnesin Anniversary Celebrated at the House of Music

A festive gala concert, «Gnesin Stars», dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the Gnesin system of music education, was held in the Svetlanov Hall of The Moscow International Performing Arts Center. The stage was graced by ensembles, teachers, students, and alumni of the Gnesin Music College and the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.

«Among the dozens of our concerts dedicated to the anniversary, this one was planned to be special from the very beginning. We wanted to say that despite our considerable age, we are young. Playfulness and professionalism probably shape the atmosphere of the Gnesin house in many ways. That is precisely why the majority of the pieces today were performed by college students, for whom everything is still ahead and with whom the future of our educational institution will be associated,» shared Aleksandr Ryzhinskii, Rector of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.

In the first part of the concert, the student choir of the Department of Solo Folk Singing (directed by Zhanna Rusakova) performed the song of the Don Cossacks, «Oh, You, Russia.» The concert continued with «Trio per uno» by Nebojša Živković, performed by students of the Department of Percussion Instruments: Vladislav Zavarykin, Denis Zhukov, and Semyon Shchetinin.

Then, the Russian Folk Orchestra of the Gnesin Music College, under the direction of Vladimir Shkurovsky, presented the Overture to the film «The Children of Captain Grant» by Isaac Dunayevsky in an arrangement by Shkurovsky, «Concertino» for saxophone by Jacques Ibert (soloist — Leonid Drutin, Head of the Department of Orchestral Wind and Percussion Instruments at the Gnesin Music College), and the Dance of Kozelkov and Friends from the ballet «The Bolt» by Dmitri Shostakovich in an arrangement by Shkurovsky.

«For me, music is first and foremost an aesthetic pleasure. Therefore, I wanted our listeners to experience this aesthetic pleasure as well. I selected the music of Dunayevsky, Shostakovich, and Ibert based precisely on this principle. That is, music which, in my opinion, sounds very relevant today,» said Vladimir Shkurovsky, Professor of the Department of Orchestral Conducting at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.

The concert also featured the Intermezzo from the suite in the ancient style on themes of songs by The Beatles by Valery Grokhovsky, in an arrangement by Shkurovsky. Appearing on stage with the orchestra were soloists: Honored Artist of Russia Valery Grokhovsky (piano), First Vice-Rector of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music Svyatoslav Golubenko (flute), and soloist of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia «Evgeny Svetlanov», teacher of the Department of Orchestral Wind and Percussion Instruments at the Gnesin Music College, Alexei Konoplyannikov (oboe).

The aria of Rodolfo from the opera «La Bohème» by Giacomo Puccini was performed with orchestral accompaniment by David Sanikidze, a 2021 graduate of the Gnesin Music College, winner of the project «The Voice» (2025), soloist of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre, and guest soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.

The ethnic climax of the first part was the performance of the Folk Choir of the Department of Folk Choral Singing (Artistic Director Yuri Kolesnik). The students performed songs from the Republic of South Africa — «The Lion Sleeps Tonight» from the repertoire of the ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo and «Sesivuma Sigiya» from the repertoire of the Drakensberg Boys Choir.

After the intermission, the guests were greeted by the music of Felix Mendelssohn — «On Wings of Song,» arranged by Natalia Korystina, was performed by the ensemble of violinists from the Department of Orchestral String Instruments. If the first part of the concert in the Svetlanov Hall was dominated by the folk orchestra, in the second part the audience’s attention was captivated by the Symphony Orchestra of the Gnesin Music College under the direction of Honored Artist of Russia Viktor Lutsenko. The Cavatina of Isabella «Cruda sorte» and the Overture to the opera «L’italiana in Algeri» by Gioachino Rossini were performed. The vocal part was sung by Tsvetana Omelchuk, a graduate of the Gnesin Music College and the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, guest soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia and soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre.

The Etude-Tableau No. 6, Op. 39 by Sergei Rachmaninoff was presented by Roman Sosnin, a laureate of national and international competitions and a graduate of the Gnesin Music College.

To conclude the anniversary concert, the Fantasy for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven was performed by the Symphony Orchestra and the Solo Choir of the Department of Vocal Art of the Gnesin Music College (Artistic Director Elena Kolmakova). The piano part was performed by Valery Grokhovsky (piano).

«For me, secondary professional education is first and foremost about preserving traditions, it is about nurturing a young musician, in whom, so to speak, all the foundations are laid,» said Valery Grokhovsky, Director of the Gnesin Music College, Dean of the Faculty of Musical Art of the Stage, Vice-Rector for Secondary Professional and Pre-Professional Education, and Honored Artist of Russia, in an interview.

Photo: Anna Bobrik