Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: October 2016

The Holy Assumption Cathedral 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

Mikhail Savitsky’s expo “Numbers in the Heart”

An exhibition of paintings by Mikhail Savitsky, the Hero of Belarus, People’s Artist of the USSR and Belarus, participant of the Great Patriotic War, tells visitors about the life of the Belarusian people during one of the bloodiest wars in the history of mankind. Mikhail Savitsky, the author of the famous Guerilla Madonna captured the heroism of the people of Belarus in their struggle against the German fascist invaders. One of the most striking pages of his chronicles of the war is a series of 16 paintings “Numbers in the Heart” created based on his personal recollections of the horrors of the German concentration camps at Buchenwald, Dachau, and Dusseldorf.  According to the artist, paintings can expose the truly tragic nature of war by influencing people solely through their hearts, emotions and mental contemplation.

When: 28 July – 9 October
Where: Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War, 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

NEW PAINT.RU expo

As part of its international tour, St Petersburg Museum of Contemporary Art ERARTA, the biggest private gallery in Eastern Europe, will bring its NEW PAINT.RU program to Minsk for the first time. The project celebrates contemporary Russian painting styles. The exposition includes 70 works and is divided into several sections: Expressionism, New Seriousness, Identification and Total Painting. The exhibition will feature the works by representatives of St. Petersburg’s young artistic elite of the 1980-90ss:  Valery Lukka, Nikolai Sazhin, Felix Volosenkov, Anatoly Zaslavsky and Yelena Figurina, representatives of the Leningrad underground, who have already made history of the international art: Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Vladlen Gavrilchik, Anatoly Basin, and also young artists from different regions of Russia.

When: 1 September – 23 October
Where: Dom Kartin Gallery, Minsk

Yekaterina Rozhdestvenskaya’s Private Collection

Yekaterina Rozhdestvenskaya, an outstanding photographer, a journalist and fashion artist, daughter of the famous poet Robert Rozhdestvensky, will present her new project, Private Collection, in Minsk in the autumn. The project offers a variety of portraits of Russian politicians, TV presenters, actors, singers and athletes pictured as the characters of the classic art pieces by Durer, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Monet, Renoir, Repin, Surikov, and many others. The exhibition will feature over 100 makeover portraits and will be accompanied by the reproductions of the paintings to help see how close the author is to the original, and to assess the models’ talents in the art of disguise. Among the heroes are Lyudmila Gurchenko, Vladimir Spivakov, Liya Akhedzhakova, Anatoly Karpov, Kristina Orbakaite, Filipp Kirkorov, Inna Churikova, Andrei Makarevich…

When: 8 September - 30 October
Where: National History Museum of the Republic of Belarus, Minsk
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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

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

The 6th international theater art festival TEART

The most awaited festival of the theatrical autumn in Minsk is TEART 2016, which is expected to present 22 shows from nine countries: Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, France, Switzerland, and Germany. The program will be divided into three sections: the international program, the Belarusian showcase Belarus Open, and auxiliary events. The festival will open with a performance of the theater and music project Life of Insects directed by Svetlana Ben and Dmitry Bogoslavsky. The multi-genre kaleidoscope will offer the dancing journey Roots by the National Choreographic Center of La Rochelle, a musical story King Size by Christoph Marthaler and the tragicomedy Measure for Measure by Declan Donnellan. The tragicomedy won a Golden Lion award during the Venice Biennale 2016. The forum will end with the play City. Marriage. Gogol by the prominent Russian director Yuri Butusov. In 2015 the play received a Golden Floodlight award in the nomination Best Play on Large Stage.

When: 28 September – 20 October
Where: Minsk
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11th Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival

The Yuri Bashmet International Festival is one of the key musical events of the year that will once again bring the best performers from all over the world to Minsk. The forum will open with the Moscow-Vienna concert program featuring two outstanding musicians — the violinist Sergei Krylov and the pianist Rostislav Krimer. You will certainly remember International Music Day — 1 October — thanks to world classics such as two fortepiano concerts (Piano Concerto No. 3 by Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini) performed by the Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky, who is often called the most romantic musician of our time. As part of the Legends on a Stradivari Violin evening the East-West Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rostislav Krimer will perform together with the famous German violinist Viviane Hagner. A concert by a Grammy Award winner — the chamber orchestra Moscow Soloists conducted by People’s Artist of Russia and the USSR Yuri Bashmet — will be the final accord of the event.

When: 30 September – 11 October
Where: The Belarusian State Philharmonic, Minsk

Festival of Belarusian Culture in Borisov

The Tuteishyia (The Locals) Festival, celebrating the Belarusian culture will be held in Borisov for the first time. It will introduce its visitors to the ancient folk traditions of Belarusian people. After the official opening ceremony, the stage near the Palace of Culture will be divided into two zones. The guests will be offered guided tours and lectures about Christianity on the territory of Belarus. The program of the festival also includes knights’ tournaments by the historical reenactment club Volny Ptakh, performances by local art groups, tastings of dishes of the national cuisine, workshops by craftsmen, and a handicraft fair with souvenirs from organic materials. The festival will conclude with an open air concert featuring DJ Ice, Axei Krechet, Erika, Maria Varlamova, Triumph Theater, Metro Dance School, with the medieval music band Lity Taler and the folk rock band Tutejszaja Szlachta as the headliners.

When: 6 October
Where: Palace of Culture, Borisov  

Nino Katamadze & Insight in Minsk

Georgian jazz singer Nino Katamadze and the Insight band will return to Minsk as part of the tour to promote the new album YELLOW which was recorded at the well-known studio TRIXX Studios in Berlin in 2016. The music of this creative tandem is famous for the outstanding philosophical depth and unique sounding combining authentic elements and modern beats of world music. The musicians have already performed in Belarus. They presented the Fifteen Years Together program in the Palace of the Republic in 2014, and were the headliners of the summer open air festival Mirum Music Festival in 2015. During the new concert in Minsk Nino Katamadze will sing her best songs in the company of the Orchestra N under the baton of maestro Nikoloz Rachveli.

When: 6 October
Where: Prime Hall, Minsk

A’STUDIO in Minsk

The original pop rock band A’Studio founded by Kazakh musician Baigali Serkebayev rose to fame at the beginning of 1990s after the successful performance at the Song Theater of Alla Pugacheva. Over 25 years the band has recorded ten studio albums and produced dozens of hits. The band has won numerous music awards, including the MuzTV and MTV awards, Russia Music Awards, the Golden Gramophone award, the Song of the Year and Ovation awards… A’Studio is famous for the high professionalism of musicians, original arrangements, and the unique style of the band’s soloist, Keti Topuria.

When, where:

9 October – Sports Palace, Minsk
11 October – Culture Center, Gomel

Eve Cornelious in Minsk

Jazz singer with a warm voice and a trademark swinging style, Eve Cornelious debuted in a popular TV show BET’s Jazz Discovery. She holds numerous prestigious awards and is acclaimed by music critics around the world. Often referred to as a successor of the great Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, she has already released three solo albums and cooperated with such eminent musicians as Ramsey Lewis, Norman Connors and Javon Jackson. Eve Cornelious teaches jazz vocal at East Carolina University and actively promotes jazz culture. Some of her original programs are The Shepard JaZz Camp for teenagers and the JaZzVoxfest! Vocal festival. In Minsk, Eve Cornelious will present her new program Great American Songbook accompanied by a trio from New York.

When: 13 October
Where: Belarusian State Philharmonic Society, Minsk

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

Mint Lion 2016

The third edition of the largest in Belarus expo of advertising solutions Mint Lion 2016 will bring together representatives of major Belarusian and foreign companies and experts in the fields of marketing, advertising, design and printing. The program of the festival includes exhibitions, presentations and themed workshops on practical solutions and the latest trends in the media market. The advertising festival LAMA (Local Advertising & Marketing Аwards) will be held as part of the forum for the first time. It will gather representatives of Belarusian communication, marketing, advertising and branding agencies, and media specialists. The international expo of advertising solutions will also feature the conferences 21st Century Marketing and 2016 Brand Day, and also a ceremony to honor the winners of marketing, advertising and branding awards.

When: 19 – 21 October
Where: Minsk Sports Palace

Evening with Alexei Rybnikov Hallelujah of Love

Renowned composer, People’s Artist of Russia Alexei Rybnikov has produced music for many theatrical performances and films. He wrote the popular Russian-language rock operas Juno and Avos and The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta staged by the Moscow’s Lenkom Theater. Now the two masterpieces occupy a prominent place in the repertoire of the theater. For the music he wrote for Soviet and Russian films, Alexei Rybnikov received such prestigious film awards as Nika, Golden Eagle, Kinotavr, and Golden Ram. In Minsk, actors of the Alexei Rybnikov Theater will present a concert program Hallelujah of Love with episodes from the maestro’s works and the songs that he wrote for films. The performance will be accompanied by the Presidential Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus conducted by Viktor Babarykin.

When: 21 October
Where: Palace of the Republic, Minsk

Belarus Art Week

The fourth international exhibition and contest Belarus Art Week will take place in Minsk with the slogan Uniting the World. The event is expected to discover new names in the modern art space — painting, drawing, sculpture, and decorative art. The forum will be subdivided into the exhibition part, the contest part, and the educational part. Participants from Belarus, Russia, the CIS states, Europe, and Asia will be granted a unique opportunity to showcase their works for a week in addition to participating in lectures, discussions, and workshops. A panel of judges will name the winner. The judges include prominent art and media figures, art patrons and gallery owners. Winners of the international project will be able to arrange personal exhibitions abroad, for instance, in Riga and Vilnius.

When: 22 – 29 October
Where: Moscow House, 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

The singer Garou in Minsk

The prominent singer, musician, and actor Pierre Garand, who performs under the stage name Garou, became internationally recognized after his brilliant performance as Quasimodo in the Notre-Dame de Paris musical. Last year he took part in the French version of the TV project Voice as a star tutor. As part of the tour in Europe and Canada he presented the solo program Forever Gentleme featuring golden hits of the 20th century. Sincere, charming, and charismatic, with a balanced and strong voice, Garou has fans all over the world, including in Belarus. The new show Fly Me To The Moon, which title was borrowed from Frank Sinatra’s same-name ballad, will feature old and new compositions in various musical genres — classics, pop songs, jazz, and blues…

When: 27 October
Where: Palace of the Republic, Minsk

Great Gatsby ballet in Minsk

The international project The Great Gatsby is an exclusive show that seamlessly combines classic ballet, modern dancing, and cinematography. The show will be staged by Dwight Rhoden, the world’s most popular choreographer according to the New York Times. He has worked with many world stars such as Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Nina Simone, U2. The show will feature leading soloists of the Odessa opera and the Kiev opera as well as artists of the American troupe Complexions Contemporary Ballet. The role of Jay Gatsby, a decadent and a bootlegger, will be starred by Denis Matviyenko, a world ballet star and a star of first nights in the Mariinsky Theater. Magnificent music by the famous Russian composer Konstantin Meladze will create the special atmosphere of the roaring 1920s in America.

When: 28 October
Where: Palace of the Republic, Minsk