BRICS Melody at the National Centre RUSSIA: a dialogue of cultures at the highest level

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On 24–25 April, the National Centre RUSSIA will host the international project BRICS Melody. This unique format combines a business programme with live musical performance. Leading experts in culture, diplomacy and creative industries will come together alongside virtuoso performers of traditional instruments from nine countries.

The project, which successfully launched in 2024 in Ulyanovsk, received wide international recognition. In 2026, it has taken on a fundamentally new scale, unfolding across three stages — Ulyanovsk (a creative laboratory and recording of the first international album), Moscow (a business forum and festival) and India (promotion of Russian culture abroad during the country’s BRICS chairmanship). The Moscow stage, to be held at the National Centre RUSSIA, will become the culmination of the entire project, bringing together more than 1,500 participants of the business programme and festival audiences.

On 24 April, the Business Forum "BRICS Countries: Traditions and Intercultural Dialogue" will take place. Participants will include Chair of the General Council of the Assembly of Peoples of the World and member of the Council for Interethnic Relations under the President of the Russian Federation Svetlana Smirnova; Director General of the Moscow State Concert Organisation Moskontsert Ilya Bachurin; co-founder of the Istok Cultural Centre Sofya Ernst; Rector of the Ippolitov-Ivanov State Musical Pedagogical Institute, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation Valery Vorona; Tina Kuznetsova and Yuri Usachev (the Zventa Sventana project), as well as rectors of leading music universities, representatives of youth organisations and creative industries from BRICS countries.

The forum programme includes the plenary session "The Power of Unity: Music That Brings Cultures and Countries Together", discussion platforms dedicated to the role of traditional music in education, creative industries and youth policy, as well as the interactive talk show "Ethno Music in the Charts: Why Traditional Motifs Sound Modern Again?", where leading performers and producers will present successful cases of integrating folklore into global charts.

Also on 24 April, the "Space of Opportunities" at the National Centre RUSSIA will host masterclasses on playing traditional instruments for children and teenagers, with more than 250 young participants expected. Professional musicians from BRICS countries will introduce them to the history and techniques of playing rare instruments — from the Indian sitar to the Brazilian pandeiro.

On 25 April, the Festival of Performers on Traditional Musical Instruments of BRICS Countries will take place, featuring 50 musicians from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran and Indonesia. Performances will be accompanied by the Ulyanovsk State Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments under the direction of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Artyom Belov.

Among the festival participants are world-class performers: Saif Al Ali (UAE), the official representative of his country at the Intervision 2025 contest and a virtuoso oud player; Taotao Zhou (China), laureate of the highest Chinese Wenhua Prize and Doctor of Arts, whose music has been used in nearly a thousand soundtracks, including collaborations with Jackie Chan; Mohamed Elegimy (Egypt), a qanun soloist at The Best FIFA Awards 2025 in Qatar; Bongiwe Lusizi (Mthwakazi) (South Africa), creator of the unique Xhopera genre; Reza Dezaipour (Iran), laureate of the World Daf Festival (Kurdistan); the ensemble Sangam (India), five virtuosos whose music features in Bollywood films and albums by global stars; the ensemble Sanggita (Indonesia), a legendary group with a 40-year history; and Marcos Lami and Kadu Galvan (Brazil), researchers and preservers of Afro-Brazilian traditions.

For many international musicians, this will be their first performance in Russia. The festival will be not only a concert but also a symbol of cultural unity: the evening will conclude with the original composition BRICS Melody performed by all participants — the BRICS People’s Orchestra.

Admission to all events is available by prior registration on the website russia.ru.

The BRICS Melody project is implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The organisers are the Ulyanovsk regional organisation of the All-Russian public organisation "Russian Youth Union " and the National Centre RUSSIA, with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The co-organiser of the business programme is the project office for international youth cooperation Russia-BRICS, operating on the basis of the Creative Industries Foundation of the Ulyanovsk Region.