State Chamber Choir of the Republic of Belarus

 
 
 
Belarusian State
CHAMBER CHOIR
 
 
The Belarusian State Chamber Choir was founded in October, 1988. The collective comprises of 30 professional musicians who have got vocal choral education in high music establishments in Belarus and Russia. It has gained good reputation very quickly and in present time is the leading professional choir in Belarus. The Honored Artist of the Republic of Belarus Igor Matyuhov, who had graduated from Leningrad Conservatory, had been conducting the choir for 12 years. Since October, 2000, Natalia Mihailova has been the head of the collective. She began her musical education in Krasnodar (Russia) and later continued it at Belarusian State Conservatory (class of Anna Zelenkova).
The main creative trend of the Choir is rebirth and popularization of the pearls of Belarusian and Russian old sacred music, West European classical music, works by contemporary composers. During the whole period of its existence the repertoire of the Choir has included Church singing of XIV-XIX cc., sacred music pieces by Belarusian composers of XIX –XX cc., motets by I.S. Bach, works by A.Lotty, G.Shultz, A.Vivaldy, masses by F.Shubert, W.A. Mozart, odes by Purcell, as well as “Johannes passion” by I.S. Bach “Stabat Mater” by D.Rossini, “Messiah” by G.Haendel, “Carmina Burana” by C.Orf, choruses by J.Brams, J.Mendelson, E.Grieg and many other West European composers, Negro Spirituals and Jazz arrangements of famous works.
During the mentioned period the Choir preformed different programs of Russian sacred and secular music written by such composers as M.Glinka, A.Dargomyzhsky, S.Taneev, S.Rakhmaninov, V.Titov, A.Gretchianinov, V.Kalinnikov, A.Arkhangelsky, P.Tchaikovsky, Ts.Kiui, P.Tchesnokov, R.Shchedrin, S.Slonimsky, Y.Falik; programmes of “premiere” works by modern Belarusian composers S.Cortez, V.Kopytsko, A.Bondarenko, S.Beltiukov, O.Khodosko and many others.
The Choir performed programs on the major stages of Minsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Vilnius, Kiev, Sochi, took part at international music and choral festivals in Poland, Norway, Slovakia, Germany.
The State Chamber Choir of the Republic of Belarus was the first foreign ensemble to take part in the Days of Church Music in Germany (Munich, 1991). In 1992 the Austrian firm “Music” recorded 2 CDs of Belarusian and Russian sacred music. In 1992 the Choir took part in the International Church Music Festival in Kristiansand, Norway. The newspaper “Fedrelandswennen” wrote: “…the Church Music Festival in Kristiansand produced a great impression owing to the State Chamber Choir of the Republic of Belarus”. The tours through the cities of Germany (Nurnberg, Rotenberg, Erlangen, Munich) in 1991 and 1993 with charity performances for the benefit of the children suffered from the Chernobyl catastrophe became the event of a great importance for the collective. In 1995 the choir gave a series of concerts in Sweden.
Since 1999 the Choir takes part in International Festival of Russian Sacred Music in Vilnius (Diplomas 2008, 2009).
It is difficult to find the cities of Belarus where the State Chamber Choir has never given its concerts. The performances of this collective have always got high appraisals both of the critics and the music circles. Choir always takes part at all Governmental important events, often with collaboration of National orchestras.
In May of 2006 Choir got Grand-Prix in International Choral Festival of Orthodox Music in Hajanowka, Poland. In 2008 Natalia Mihailovà got “Francisk Skorina” Medal from Government “For a considerable contribution in Belarusian culture”. In May of 2010 Choir successfully took part in 9th International Moscow Easter Festival.
 
 
State Chamber Choir of Belarus
Telephone/Fax: +375 17 331 46 68
Belarussian State Philharmonic Society
Nezavisimosty ave., 50,
220005, Minsk, Belarus
Manager – Farid Suleiman-zade
 
 
 


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