The All-Russian Classical Music Marathon "Cantata. Russia"

On Russia Day, June 12, the All-Russian Classical Music Marathon "Cantata. Russia". During the day, concerts will take place in 15 regions of the country — from Kaliningrad to the Far East, bringing together thousands of spectators, musicians and creative teams. The marathon is held as part of the VI International Classical Music Festival "Cantata" and is one of the largest events in the field of academic art in Russia.

The project is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. Concerts will be held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Astrakhan, Cherepovets, Kursk, Novorossiysk, Yoshkar-Ola, Ryazan, Rostov Veliky, Rostov-on-Don, Khabarovsk, Cheboksary and the Republic of Karelia. The total audience of the project will be about 20 thousand people. The geography of the project this year covers different areas of the country — from the National Center "Russia" in Moscow and the Cathedral Square of Rostov the Great to the Ryazan and Astrakhan Kremlins, Komsomolskaya Square in Khabarovsk and the industrial site of the Cherepovets Metallurgical Combine.

"The marathon is timed to coincide with the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. In each region, the marathon acquires its own sound, while maintaining the common idea of uniting the country in the language of academic music," said Sergey Novikov, Head of the Office of the President of the Russian Federation for Public Projects, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Cantata Festival.

The central event of the marathon will be a concert at the Rossiya National Center in Moscow with the participation of Yuri Bashmet and leading Russian musicians. The visual accompaniment of the event deserves special attention: masterpieces from the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery will be displayed on media screens — each piece of music will be accompanied by a visual range of classical works of Russian art.

"For me, Russia is inseparable from Russian culture. I am very glad that painting will go along with music on our journey through Russian art. The visual range of our concert will consist of paintings by Russian artists from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery, which is celebrating its 170th anniversary this year. The very motto of both the festival and our concert is "Ahead of time". This is what distinguishes our Russian culture, our unique achievements in music, literature, and painting, that they determined the directions of art development all over the world ahead of time," said Yuri Bashmet, artistic director of the Novaya Opera State Symphony Orchestra, Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, People's Artist of the USSR.

In Kaliningrad, at the central venue of the Cantata Festival, on Kanta Island, a combined orchestra of musicians from the Kaliningrad Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow State Academic Symphony Orchestra conducted by the artistic director of the festival Fabio Mastrangelo will perform. A special guest of the program is pianist Angel Wong.

The organizers note the steady growth of Russians' interest in academic art and concert formats of classical music. This is confirmed by research data from the VTsIOM Analytical Center. According to the survey, 38% of Russians have attended academic art events over the past year, and this figure reaches 49% among representatives of generation Z, and 51% among young millennials. In addition, almost two thirds of Russians consider academic art to be a field that requires government support.

"We see that the audience of academic art is changing today and getting noticeably younger. This is confirmed by research data, as well as the practice of festivals and theaters. Young people come for meanings and complex ideas. It is no coincidence that the works of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev or Shostakovich continue to resonate with new generations. Classics are an art that has passed the test of time. And today, tens of thousands of people across the country are participating in the Cantata marathon. Russia", which means that the need for such a conversation remains really high," said Andrey Borisov, General Producer of the Cantata Festival, General Director of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko MAMT.

The marathon program features works by Glinka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Sviridov, composers whose works form the basis of the Russian academic musical tradition.

"On Russia Day, we remember what unites us and makes us part of one big country — culture. Of course, the greatest asset of our Motherland is music. Creations created by outstanding composers and timeless. And it is especially valuable that together with the marathon "Cantata. Russia "music is being played all over the country today by wonderful musicians and ensembles and resonates with tens of thousands of audience hearts," said Ildar Abdarazakov, People's Artist of Russia, opera singer, artistic director of the Mikhailovsky Theater.

The concert in Rostov the Great will be held with the participation of People's Artist of Russia Lyubov Kazarnovskaya. At the same time, a joint exhibition of the Rostov Kremlin State Museum-Reserve and the Museum of Russian Impressionism, Metropolitan Jam, begins work there.

"The first large-scale project of the Museum of Russian Impressionism outside Moscow is inspired by Rostov the Great himself and his welcoming atmosphere. For 10 years we have been actively cooperating with regional museums from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad and have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to do joint projects in other cities that strengthen the role of culture as a driver of regional development, attracting tourists and making art more accessible to citizens," said Yulia Petrova, curator of the exhibition, director of the Museum of Russian Impressionism.

Marathon "Cantata. Russia" takes place within the framework of the VI International Classical Music Festival "Cantata", which will be held from June 12 to 16 in the Kaliningrad region. The theme of the 2026 festival is "Ahead of Time". The festival is dedicated to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the formation of the Kaliningrad region.