From December 7 to 14, 2025, the 37th International Festival “Bayan and Accordion Players” – one of the most significant events in the world of folk instrumental music – will take place at the Concert Hall of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. The festival traditionally brings together leading bayan and accordion performers from Russia and abroad, showcasing the full diversity of genres – from classical and avant-garde to jazz and popular music.

Throughout the week, audiences will have the chance to hear performances by brilliant soloists and renowned ensembles. The festival program includes an opening gala concert featuring the “Orpheus” Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Honored Artist of Russia Sergei Kondrashev with soloist Semyon Shmelkov, as well as the Gnesin RAM Orchestra of Bayan and Accordion Players.The opening program will feature works by A. Kholminov, M. Bronner, S. Gubaidulina, N. Hondo, and A. Nekrasov.

Audiences can look forward to solo concerts by Vyacheslav Bondarenko, Iosif Purits and the Puritz Band, the jazz ensemble of Sergei Osokin, performances by the legendary ensemble “Russian Timbre,” and concerts by promising instrumental duos. The concert programs will feature both classical works and contemporary compositions, jazz improvisations, and original arrangements. A highlight will be the premiere of M. Bronner’s cycle “Six Poems by Igor Severyanin for Bayan ‘Moon Shadows'” performed by Iosif Purits.

Competition & Concert Schedule

December 7, Sunday
19:00: Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Concert Hall – Opening Concert

Orphée Radio Symphony Orchestra
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor – Merited Artist of Russia Sergei Kondrashov
Soloist – Semen Shmelkov (bayan)

Orchestra of Bayan and Accordion Players of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music
Artistic Director and Conductor – Ruslan Kaneev

Soloists:
Mikhail Gorobtsov (alto domra)
Alexey Sysaev (accordion)
Maria Vlasova (accordion)

December 8, Monday Shuvalova House Music Salon
11:00–14:00 / 15:00–18:00: 1st Round, Academic Category

December 9, Tuesday Shuvalova House Music Salon
11:00–14:00 / 15:00–18:00: 1st Round cont., Academic Category
19:00: Concert – Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Concert Hall

Vyacheslav Bondarenko (bayan)
Ensemble “Russian Timbre”
Featuring Merited Artists of Russia:
Vyacheslav Kuzminsky, Vyacheslav Stoma, Pavel Zaitsev
Leonid Morotsky, Maxim Tkachyov

December 10, Wednesday Shuvalova House Music Salon
11:00–14:00 / 15:00–18:00: 2nd Round, Academic Category

December 11, Thursday Shuvalova House Music Salon
10:00–14:00 / 15:00–19:00: – 2nd Round, Academic Category
19:00: Concert Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Concert Hall
Instrumental Duos
Appassionato Duo: Anastasia Tatarina & Ksenia Gavva
Fusion Duo: Nikita Ukrainsky & Ilona Savina
Alexey Loganov & Daria Sakharova
Iosif Purits & Puritz Band

December 12, Friday
15:00–18:00: Shuvalova House Music Salon – 1st Round, Variety Category

December 13, Saturday
19:00: Concert – Jazz Ensemble of Sergei Osokin
20:00–21:00: Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Concert Hall – Final Round, Variety Category

December 14, Sunday
10:00–13:00: Gnessin Russian Academy of Music Concert Hall – 3rd Round, Academic Category
14:00 — Awards Ceremony & Winner’s Concert

Special attention within the festival will be paid to supporting young talents. From December 8 to 14, the 8th International Competition of Bayan and Accordion Players in Moscow will be held, including academic and popular music categories. Furthermore, on December 13, the 15th All-Russian Student Review-Competition for students of music schools and colleges will take place, featuring the best students from various cities across Russia.

The festival will conclude on December 14 with a grand closing ceremony featuring the presentation of the “Silver Disc” award for contributions to bayan art and a grand gala concert by the competition laureates.

The “Bayan and Bayan Players” festival, founded in 1989, has long been an integral part of Moscow’s cultural life in the pre-New Year period. It is a unique platform where masters and future stars share the stage, where new creative ideas are born, and international cultural ties are strengthened.

The festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, and the Friedrich Lips Charitable Foundation. The founder and artistic director of the festival is People’s Artist of Russia, Professor Friedrich Robertovich Lips. The festival director is Alexander Gataullin.