Festival
The annual Ildar Abdrazakov International Music Festival was founded in 2018 and has since become one of Russia’s largest and most dynamically developing music festivals. Its mission is to discover, support and promote talented young artists across the regions of Russia. The Festival’s geography continues to expand each year, reaching new cities across the country. Over eight seasons, concerts have been held in 30 cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ufa, Kazan, Chelyabinsk, Almetyevsk, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Astrakhan, Vladivostok, Khanty-Mansiysk, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Krasnoyarsk, Surgut and Orenburg.
In 2026, the ninth edition of the Festival officially opened on June 23 at the State Academic Capella of St. Petersburg. The extensive Festival tour continues on October 7 at the Murmansk Regional Philharmonic, on October 9 at the Grand Hall of the Karelian State Philharmonic in Petrozavodsk, and on October 13 at the Yamal Philharmonic in Salekhard.
Votkinsk, the birthplace of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, holds a special place in the Festival itinerary. On October 18, the final gala concert of the 9th Ildar Abdrazakov International Music Festival will take place at the Yubileiny Palace of Culture in the city where the great Russian composer was born.
The ninth Festival tour will feature the Festival’s Artistic Director, People’s Artist of Russia Ildar Abdrazakov, and Alexey Tikhomirov, Honored Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan and leading soloist of the Helikon Opera Moscow Musical Theatre and the Kolobov Novaya Opera Theatre of Moscow.
They will be joined by young performers who have taken part in the educational projects of the Ildar Abdrazakov Foundation for the Support of Young Talents: Alexandra Zotova, soloist of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre and member of the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program; Kirill Popov, soloist of the Helikon Opera Moscow Musical Theatre; Maria Mertseva; and Maria Paimanova.
The Festival's program includes events featuring world-renowned vocalists and young opera singers, performances and charitable programs, as well as an educational component comprising series of masterclasses, open rehearsals with world opera stars, and creative meetings with musical figures.
Over the years, Lawrence Brownlee, Claudio Sgura, Luciano Ganchi, Veronica Dzhioeva, Vasily Ladyuk, Sergey Skorokhodov, conductors Speranza Skuppucci, Alexander Sladkovsky, Fabio Mastrangelo, Mikhail Tatarnikov, and many others took part in the festival. Its artistic director Ildar Abdrazakov is an invariable participant in all concerts and masterclasses.
Throughout the Festival's history, its events have been witnessed by more than 35,800 people in concert halls, millions of viewers on Mezzo and "Russia - Culture" TV channels, as well as through online streaming. Over 5,500 applications for masterclasses have been received from young performers from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Austria, Germany, Greece, South Korea, France, Mongolia, Japan, China, and other countries.
The Ildar Abdrazakov Festival continues to grow, establishing its reputation as one of Russia's key international music forums.
