Combined Russian Symphony Orchestra

Combined Russian Symphony Orchestra (CRSO) unites musicians from different regions to take part in the Festival of the World's Symphony Orchestras. This project is the first of a kind in Russia. Last year, at the Second Festival, 18 musicians from 11 orchestras from across the country – from Petrozavodsk to Vladivostok – joined the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Yuri Temirkanov. The combined orchestra performed Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell. This year, Symphony and Chamber Orchestra Leaders’ Association (SCOLA) took one step further and decided to create a truly ‘combined’ orchestra, uniting the best musicians from the Russian orchestras.

The concert is directed by Valery Gergiev, who already has experience performing together with orchestras of such kind, namely with the World Orchestra for Peace, supported by the United Nations Organization. This orchestra represents a ‘world without war’. The symbolism of the Combined Russian Symphony orchestra stresses the unity of Russia and her culture. The idea of the project is to strengthen the communication and music cooperation between musicians from different regions.