Press releases
Belarus Events Calendar: November 2016
International Festival of Modern Choreography in Vitebsk
Vintage bicycles exhibition in Minsk
The international project “Whole life in one bicycle”, which was presented for the first time at EXPO 2015 in Milan, invites you to learn more about the history of a bicycle – a unique means of transport and one of the greatest inventions, which has made the life of European urban dwellers and villagers much easier. The visitors to the exhibition will learn many interesting facts about the life and daily routine of representatives of various professions: a priest, a doctor, a fireman, a baker, a milkman, a tailor and a barber, and the role which the bicycle played in their lives. The exclusive collection, with the youngest bike of about 60 years old, belongs to Maurizio Urbinati from Italy. He has been collecting vintage bicycles with an interesting story for the past four last decades.
When: 18 February – February 2017
Where: National History Museum, Minsk
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Heritage of Belarus: Restored Architectural Values art project
For several years, Minsk residents and guests have had a chance to learn more about Belarus’ outstanding landmarks, the uniqueness of which is recognized throughout the world. This year, the open-air gallery has brought together over 100 reproductions depicting the architectural heritage, among which are towns halls, manors, palaces and parks, Orthodox and Catholic churches which have been restored over the past decade in different regions of the country. The authors of the art project are well-known photographers, journalists, winners of the Spiritual Revival Award (2005) Alexander Alekseev and Oleg Lukashevich, who released the album "Heritage of Belarus" in 2004. The album sold over 42 million copies from 2004 to 2014 and became a real sales hit in the history of the national book publishing.
When: from 21 May
Where: Chelyuskintsev Park, Minsk
Month of Photography in Minsk
Month of Photography is a project that unites the best photographers, art critics and curators from around the world. Since its creation two years ago this great festival of modern photography art has attracted a big audience – about 500,000 admirers in Minsk and Brest, with the geography of its participants expanding to nine countries. The two-month forum will feature 13 expositions of photographers from Belarus, Poland, France, Germany and Australia in the galleries of Minsk and Brest. The program will include lectures, presentations, discussion sessions, and, of course, workshops with Belarusian and foreign photography experts, among whom Louis Lumiere College graduate Clement Briend, and also Andreas Rost, Agnieszka Rayss, Rob Hornstra, Irina Chmyreva and Tomas Kauneckas.
When: 1 September – 8 November
Where: Galleries of Minsk and Brest, opening ceremony in the TSEKH exhibition center in Minsk
Buddhist Art Expo from Hermitage Museum
The Buddhist Art exposition is a joint project of the National Art Museum of Belarus and the State Hermitage Museum that will invite residents and guests of the Belarusian capital to get familiar with the heritage of the Asian countries and regions: China, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and Buryatia. The collection of one of the world’s biggest museum features 170 masterpieces of painting (thangkas) and sculptures, the oldest of which are dating back to the 12th-13th centuries. Among them are mandalas, images used in astrological rituals, cult objects, ghau reliquaries and tsa tsa… One of the main exhibits is the Avalokitesvara statuette, a unique figurine of a deity of mercy and compassion, which, according to the legend, laid foundation for the development of a unique culture of the ancient Tibet in the early 7th century.
When: 11 September – 9 November
Where: National Art Museum of Belarus, Minsk
Japanese Autumn in Belarus
The fourth edition of the Japanese Autumn Festival has kicked off in Belarus. In September, this unique festival opened with a concert of national music in Molodechno, Belarus’ Capital of Culture 2016. The packed many-week program feature dozens of events dedicated to the traditional and modern culture of Japan: lectures and master classes, concerts and musical evenings, sports tournaments in Oriental martial arts, youth forums and cinema festivals. the final November playbill features concerts of piano music, an exhibition “Traditions and culture of Japan”, musical evening “Belarus-Japan: music without border”, the nationwide tournament in sports Chanbara (sponhan). Guests will be invited to take a journey into the world of manga, meet the characters of Japanese fairytales, master the art of origami, uncover the secrets of haiku, try on kimono and participate in a tea ceremony.
When: 14 September - 27 November
Where: Minsk, Grodno, Slonim, Brest, Orsha, Molodechno
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3rd international festival of organ music Organs of Europe Sound in Grodno
The music festival Organs of Europe Sound in Grodno will bring together great musicians from Belarus, Russia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Japan, Israel, and the USA in Grodno which is often called the royal city. The program of the festival will include solo concerts of such musicians as Italian organist and improviser Eugenio Maria Fagiani, one of the greatest German musicians Johannes Geffert, winner of international contests Jozef Kotowicz of Poland. Invited musicians will play the masterpieces of world classics on the only Magnus Silesia Royal organ in Belarus and the CIS. Thanks to digital technologies this instrument can reproduce the unique tone quality of ancient organs which were used in European churches.
When: 20 September – 24 November
Where: Grodno State Music College, Grodno
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Arena of Triumph show at Belarusian State Circus
The Arena of Triumph show which will open a new circus season which will have original directing solutions and many surprises. For example, the program will include a performance of the world’s only trained rhinoceros, the fantastic program Shambhala. Training of White Tigers hosted by Honored Artists of Russia Yelena Fedotova and Sergei Nesterov. The show will also feature acrobatic performances directed by Alexander Skokov, trained horses of Olga Dyagileva, a boxing kangaroo of Alexei Poruchayev, the show of performing dogs Spring Jazz of Alisa Nesterova, a young artist of the Old Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. The show will be crowned by the performance of multiple winner of international circus festivals and the 2011 Golden Clown award Armen Asiryants.
When: 23 September – 11 December
Where: Belarusian State Circus, Minsk
Bells of St Sophia Cathedral festival in Polotsk
The international festival in Polotsk will bring together prominent organists from Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Japan. St Sophia Cathedral, which is considered one of the best concert halls in Europe, will host classic and modern music concerts for seven evenings. Lithuanian duo Dalia Jatautaite and Asta Kriksciunaite, and the soloist of the Kaliningrad Regional Philharmonic Hiroko Inoue will give concerts before the official opening of the festival. The opening will feature the Lux Aeterna premiere, a score composed by American composer, Grammy Award winner Morten Lauridsen. The piece will be performed by Sonorus Capella. Connoisseurs of the classics are looking forward to meeting with the best musicians, among whom are German virtuoso Matthias Jacob, Polish Gedymin Grubba and, of course, the well-known organist Ksenia Pogorelaya from Polotsk. She will perform together with the State Chamber Orchestra of Belarus and flautist Evgeny Vidanov and Russian singer Yelena Artamonova.
When: October 23 - November 27
Where: St Sophia Cathedral, Polotsk
Belarusian Fashion Week SS'2017
The major event in the Belarusian fashion industry, the Belarusian Fashion Week, will feature the Spring-Summer 2017 collections. The next spring and summer trends will be presented by the leading Belarusian brands Alena Goretskaya, Davidova, Evgeni Horkin, T.Efremova, Youri Kot, Line A, Coo Culte, Limitedminsk by LG, ton-in-ton, Candy Lady, NAVY, and also well-known foreign designers – Leitmotiv, FABRYAN, Laura Theiss, Irene Luft, RIANI, Klaudia Markiewicz. The international forum Fashion is My Profession will gather top specialists from Russia, Poland, the UK, Italy and Germany. The program will also include presentations of the collections of young designers and participants of the project Off Schedule BFW, the final of New Names BFW by Mark Formelle, Kids’ Fashion Days BFW, and also lectures and master classes fromfamous experts, fashion designers and stylists.
When: 3 – 6 November
Where: Minsk, Belexpo National Exhibition Center, Belarus Fashion Week pavilion
23rd Minsk International Film Festival Listapad
Belarus’ major film festival, one of the biggest film forums in Europe, invites film makers, actors, film critics and cinema amateurs to set out on a journey Towards Inspiration, the motto of the 23rd edition of the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad. The forum will feature over 160 films from 52 countries: world premieres, feature films and documentaries, debut films of young filmmakers. The international jury of the feature film competition will be led by famous Georgian filmmaker, producer and playwright Zaza Urushadze. His film Tangerines about the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict was nominated for the Oscar and Golden Globe Awards in 2015. The festival will open with Russia’s St Petersburg. Only For Love about one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The forum will wrap up with Andrzej Wajda’s Afterimage (Poland).
When: 4 – 11 November
Where: Minsk cinema houses
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Mysteries and Secrets of the Radziwills Quest
The famous princely residence in Nesvizh invites tourists to take part in a series of interactive quests "Mysteries and Secrets of the Radziwill Palace." Tourists will be offered to take an exciting journey through the magnificent halls, and get acquainted with the history of one of the most influential dynasties of Europe of the 15th – 18th centuries. The participants of the quest will be accompanied by Prince Anatoly Wilhelm who was the first to restore the Nesvizh Palace in the 19th century after decades of desolation. To pass through the levels of the fascinating quest, the participants will have to find answers to tricky questions, solve historic puzzles, and visit the places usually closed for tourists: princely chambers, underground labyrinths, towers and defensive fortifications.
When: 15 October, 5 November, 10 December
Where: National historical and cultural museum-reserve at Nesvizh, Minsk Oblast
J:Mors and Presidential Orchestra of Belarus: Belarusian Gold joint project
One of Belarus’ most popular music bands J:Mors will present its first joint project with the Presidential Orchestra of Belarus under the baton of Viktor Babarikin, who can boast road tours with the world’s rock stars such as Scorpions and joint projects with Demis Roussos, Sarah Connor, Robin Gibb, Jose Carreras… The music band led by its all-time leader Vladimir Pugach has released eight studio albums and also created some novelties unusual for the national show business: the first Internet single Distance: A Journey Around Belarus, a live concert onboard of Minsk-Amsterdam aircraft, the first one in the history of the Belarusian aviation. The Belarusian Gold program will feature J:Mors’ best songs in the symphonic arrangement.
When: 5 November
Where: Palace of the Republic, Minsk
Tina Karol in Minsk
Singer and actress, TV host and judge of the Ukrainian singing shows The Voice, Golos Krainy, and also The Voice. Children, Honored Artist of Ukraine Tina Karol made a name thanks to her bright performance at the New Wave 2005 festival in Jurmala, where she finished second. In 2015 the Ukrainian diva won M1 Music Awards in the Best Singer nomination and was named a Style Icon by ELLE Magazine. In 2016 she released her sixth studio album Kolyadki and the single Your Sins. After bringing her show Selection to Minsk’s Prime Hall on St. Valentine’s Day Tina Karol is returning to the Belarusian capital with a new program. The program will include the singer’s best songs, including I Still Love, Thank You, I remember, I Love Him…
When: 9 November
Where: Palace of the Republic, Minsk
Crystal Shoe Masquerade Ball in Kupala Theater
The Yanka Kupala Theater, which is widely regarded as a cradle of the Belarusian drama art, marked its 95th anniversary in 2015. This season the theater will present a premiere of its Crystal Shoe Masquerade Ball in the production of theater director of the Maxim Gorky National Academic Drama Theater Sergei Kovalchik. A heart-melting story about Cinderella in Belarusian (translated by Igor Skripka) will resume the tradition of children’s productions in the country’s oldest theater. The original interpretation of Charles Perrault’s famous tale will be complemented with smart and dynamic moments from the plays of famous Russian writers: Evgeny Schwartz and Tamara Gabbe. A costume ball will be the draw of this music and drama production…
When: 12 November
Where: Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater, Minsk
Alla Dukhova’s ballet Todes in Belarus
Alla Dukhova’s world-famous dance company Todes, which is turning 30 next year, has a unique style. The well-balanced combination of choreography and acting, meticulously crafted costumes, elaborated storylines, and state-of-the-art technology are elements of its formula of success. Since its founding, Alla Dukhova’s ballet Todes has participated in Michael Jackson’s benefit concerts in Munich and Seoul, and performed on one stage with such notable singers as Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin and the Boyz II Men vocal group. Todes will present their new show We, featuring the best performances over the company’s history, as part of their tour across Belarus.
When, where:
18 November – Zheleznodorozhnikov (Railmen’s) Culture Center, Minsk
19 November – Palace of Arts, Bobruisk
20 November – Palace of the Republic, Minsk
21 November – Culture House of Trade Unions, Brest
Lords of the Sound in Minsk
The symphony orchestra Lords of the Sound, with its high professionalism and unique style, has already performed at the world’s top music venues. The orchestra founded by producer Andrei Novatorov in cooperation with eminent conductors Vitaly Sarazhinsky and Vitaly Fizer in 2014 is famous for live performances of world’s greatest hits, movie soundtracks, and pieces by modern composers. The orchestra’s repertoire currently features over 200 pieces of different genres, including classics, jazz, rock, and children’s music. Lords of the Sound will present in Minsk the greatest hits of The Beatles, Adele, Michael Jackson, Scorpions, Depeche Mode, Prodigy, Nirvana and also soundtracks from the movies Titanic, The Great Gatsby, The Matrix, Sherlock Holmes, Interstellar…
When: 20 November
Where: Minsk Concert Hall
International Festival of Modern Choreography in Vitebsk
The 29th installment of the International Festival of Modern Choreography IFMC 2016 in Vitebsk will bring together leading Belarusian and foreign dance companies from Russia, Czechia, France and Norway. The festival will open with the Giselle premiere by the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of Belarus produced by famous Ukrainian choreographer Radu Poklitaru. He worked in the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus in the 1990s and then graduated from the choreography department of the Belarusian State Academy of Music. The playbill of the festival also features “She” and the premiere “Son of Mr Piero from Vinci/Mona Lisa” by Evgeny Panfilov Ballet Theater from Perm, “ AkhmatModi” by Autre Compagnie MiNa, “There” from Jo Stromgren company (Norway) and “Devoid” by NANOHACH company (Czechiac). At the close of the event the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus will show the Six Dances and La Petite Mort ballets.
When: 22-27 November
Where:
22 November - Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, Minsk;
Vitebsk concert hall, Yakub Kolas National Academic Theater, Vitebsk
Teatralny Koufar International Student Theater Festival
Since its founding, the only in Belarus international festival of student and youth theaters, which has grown into one of the most prestigious festivals in Eastern Europe, has brought together some 250 theater companies from 60 countries. This year’s edition of the festival will be held under the slogan Traditions. Search. Experiment. It will feature the best productions and first-night performances by youth theater companies from Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Israel, Iran, Morocco and China. The winner of the Grand-Prix of the festival, the Big Koufar, will be traditionally decided by the audience. The program of the festival also includes meetings with famous personalities, discussions, acting and directing workshops, and presentations of experimental productions staged by KoufarDramaLab.
When: 23 November – 1 December
Where: Belarusian State University, Minsk
Lightning show by the Safronov brothers
The Safronov brothers, who are well-recognized thanks to the TV projects Bitva extrasensov (Psychic Challenge) demonstrated their extraordinary skills for the first time in a death at the stake number during the quiz show What? Where? When? in 2002. For more than 14 years members of the famous trio, who are often described as Russian Copperfields, have been performing all over the world. They also take care of musical numbers during the annual ceremony Serebryanaya Kalosha (silver gumshoe). In 2015 they won the World’s Best Big Illusion nomination during the international illusionist festival Wizard Trophy. The artists will return to Minsk with a new Lightning show that combines outstanding playwriting, modern technologies, and, of course, inimitable illusions of the Safronov brothers.
When: 24 November
Where: Palace of the Republic, Minsk
Russian Ballet in Minsk
The Moscow Oblast state theater Russian Ballet was founded in 1984 thanks to efforts of the outstanding dancer, the premier dancer of the Bolshoi Theater, USSR People’s Artist Vyacheslav Gordeyev. Since its inception the theater has gathered an entire constellation of talented artists, including Maya Ivanova, Maxim Fomin, Svetlana Ustyuzhaninova, Konstantin Telyatnikov, Yelena Osokina… For over 30 years the theater has been adding to the glorious legacy of the Russian ballet school on the best stages of Europe, North and South Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. In Minsk the artists will show the world’s classic masterpieces — the ballets Nutcracker and Swan Lake — with the genius music by Piotr Tchaikovsky. Initially staged in the Mariinsky Theater at the end of the 19th century with an interval of only three years, the works won hearts of viewers from many countries and still represent a symbol of the great age.
When, where:
Nutcracker ballet
26 November – Palace of the Republic, Minsk
Swan Lake ballet
26 November – Palace of the Republic, Minsk
Tour of Lithuania’s Russian Drama Theater to Belarus
The Russian Drama Theater of Lithuania will return to Minsk with the best productions. The only national Russian-language theater in Lithuania often takes part in Belarus’ major festivals in Minsk, Brest, Grodno, Mogilev… The theater opened the new season with Marius Matsavicius’ production Rubbishy Love based on Pavel Sanayev’s play Bury Me Behind the Baseboard in Minsk in September. This time there will be a theater weekend for the whole family featuring a psychological drama Dreamworks based on the play of renowned Russian playwright, actor, director, and screenwriter Ivan Vyrypayev, a production for children Cat’s House based on the fairy-tale of Samuil Marshak, and a brilliant comedy of French author Francis Veber Dinner for Schmucks.
When: 26-27 November
Where: Belarusian State Academic Music Theater, Minsk
Lara Fabian in Minsk
One of the most popular singers with a wonderful voice, Lara Fabian, represented Luxembourg with the song Croire at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988 and finished in the top four. The singer got the first European Golden Disc award for the third album Pure which was recorded in 1996 and acquired a platinum status in less than two weeks. For many years of creative work, Lara Fabian has performed on five continents and sold 12 million discs. After her first concert Le Secret in Minsk in 2013, the performer of magnificent Adagio will return to the Belarusian capital city with a new program featuring world hits and new songs from the album Ma vie dans la tienne…
When: 30 November
Where: Sports Palace, Minsk
December 2016
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Song of the Year 2016 in Minsk5 December |
Thomas Anders in Minsk
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3rd International Christmas Singing Contest7-13 December |
David Garrett in Minsk11 December |
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Carmen on Ice by Ilya Averbukh15-18 December |
Toto Cutugno in Minsk18 December |
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Premiere of Kim Breitburg’s musical Jane Eyre19, 20, 23 December |
Chinese pianist Di Wu in Minsk22 December |
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