A.V. Sveshnikov Choral Conducting Competition. Opening Ceremony

From November 23 to 27, the First International Competition of Choral Conductors named after Alexander Vasilyevich Sveshnikov was held in Sochi. 36 participants from 5 countries were invited to the competition after passing the correspondence round. They had to demonstrate their skills in three more rounds. The expert jury consisted of 14 famous musicians from 7 countries, and was headed by Professor of the Moscow Conservatory, student of Alexander Sveshnikov Stanislav Kalinin.

The Competition opened with a gala concert. It featured the Yaroslavia Philharmonic Chapel under the direction of Vladimir Kontarev and the students' choir of the Kazan State Conservatory named after I.G. Zhiganov under the direction of Yuri Karpov. Special guests of the concert were: Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic Ekaterina Mechetina, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Agunda Kulaeva, titular organist of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Moscow Marina Omelchenko, winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition Sergei Davydchenko and eminent Russian conductor, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, professor of the Moscow Conservatory Stanislav Kalinin, a group of percussion instruments.

The program included the cantata "Kursk Songs" by Georgy Sviridov for two pianos, choir, mezzo-soprano and percussion and other works by foreign, Russian and Soviet composers.

Organ Hall, Sochi, November 23, 2024