Russia to sound in unison: All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" to be held across the country on 12 June

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28 May 2026, Moscow: The All-Russian classical music marathon "Cantata. Russia" — one of the largest events in the field of academic music in Russia — will be held in the regions of the country and in Moscow on 12 June, Russia Day. The marathon is part of the "Cantata" classical music festival. This year, 15 constituent entities have joined it: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Astrakhan, Cherepovets, Kursk, Novorossiysk, Yoshkar-Ola, Ryazan, Rostov Veliky, Rostov-on-Don, Khabarovsk, Cheboksary and Karelia. Around 20,000 spectators are expected across Russia.

The marathon will take place at iconic historical, cultural and even industrial venues in the regions. Classical music will be performed at the Astrakhan and Ryazan kremlins, on Cathedral Square in Rostov Veliky, on Komsomolskaya Square in Khabarovsk and on Red Square in Cheboksary. In addition, for the first time, a "Cantata" concert will be held at a metallurgical plant in Cherepovets, with blast furnaces serving as the concert backdrop.

"The key idea of the 'Cantata. Russia' marathon is to promote academic art and create a strong bond between generations through the country’s rich legacy. Symphonic and choral works are performed in historical and public spaces, uniting Russian citizens through the shared language of music. It is important for us that on 12 June, the country sounds with a single symphonic voice — from Kaliningrad to the Far East," said Chief of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the "Cantata" festival Sergei Novikov.

According to a survey by the VCIOM Analytical Centre, 22% of respondents visited a theatre, ballet or opera over the past year, while one in ten attended classical music concerts. Among young people aged 18–35, this figure reaches 16%. The study also shows strong interest in academic art among audiences with higher education and residents of the country’s largest cities.

"The study records an important trend: academic art is ceasing to be a niche product. This is confirmed, among other things, by young people’s interest in classical music, ballet, theatres and museums. There is demand for intellectual leisure, and this is direct evidence of the need for high-quality educational projects that turn passive consumption into a deep experience," said Director General of the VCIOM Analytical Centre and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Mass Communications at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation Valery Fedorov.

The central event of the marathon will be a concert at the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow featuring conductor Yuri Bashmet. "For me, the unity of the country is our culture: it shapes our identity, connects generations and makes us recognisable in the world. It has been very important for me over the past few years to take part in the wonderful 'Cantata' festival project. This time, we prepared the programme for the Russia Day concert at the National Centre with special feeling, structuring it as a journey through Russian culture from Glinka to Sviridov. Symbolically, we will begin the concert with the Russian national anthem and end with Sviridov’s 'Time, Forward!' — music of energy, movement and aspiration towards the future," said Artistic Director of the Novaya Opera State Symphony Orchestra, Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation and People’s Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet.

The marathon programme includes works by Mikhail Glinka, Modest Mussorgsky, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Georgy Sviridov, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky and other composers whose works form the basis of the Russian academic musical tradition.

Regional programmes will feature symphony orchestras, choirs, soloists and conductors from different regions. In Astrakhan, the symphony orchestra and choir of the Astrakhan State Opera and Ballet Theatre will perform under the baton of Honoured Artist of Russia Valery Voronin. In Khabarovsk, the Far Eastern Academic Symphony Orchestra will take part. In Rostov Veliky, the Yaroslavl Academic Governor’s Symphony Orchestra, the Yaroslavl Philharmonic Choir Capella "Yaroslavia" and opera singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya will perform. In Cheboksary, the Chuvash State Academic Symphony Capella will perform on the city’s Red Square. In Cherepovets, the Questa Musica orchestra will perform under the baton of Philipp Chizhevsky, Artistic Director of the E. F. Svetlanov State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia.

"Questa Musica will sound in an industrial landscape for the first time, and this cannot fail to inspire. We will dedicate the concert to the music of Georgy Sviridov, which echoes the rhythm of production processes and the power of Russian metallurgy. I am confident it will receive a special interpretation. With this programme, we will show how academic art can be in tune with technological progress. Both are integral components that make our lives full, which is why the symbolic 'Time, Forward!' will have a special place in the concert," Philipp Chizhevsky emphasised.

In Kaliningrad, on Cathedral Square on Kant Island, a combined orchestra made up of musicians from the Kaliningrad Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow State Academic Symphony Orchestra will perform under the baton of Fabio Mastrangelo, Artistic Director of the VI International Classical Music Festival "Cantata". Pianist Angel Wong will take part in the programme. The evening will be hosted by theatre and film actress Sofya Ernst.

"The All-Russian marathon 'Cantata. Russia' is currently one of the largest projects in the field of academic music in Russia. On Russia Day, classical music goes beyond concert halls and sounds in kremlins, on squares, in historical centres and at iconic locations. It is especially important for us that academic art becomes part of the country’s shared cultural experience," said General Producer of the "Cantata" festival and Director General of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre Andrei Borisov.