55th anniversary of boys choir

The opening of the choir in 1946 heralded the start of a new era in the local musical culture. A team of talented and good-hearted professionals was behind the idea. They understood the influence music has on a person's spiritual world and devoted their lives to children. The founding father of the Boy's Choir and its first director was a gifted musician and a kind person, Vasily Malyshev. He was followed by Lev Sivukhin who became choirmaster in 1952 and has been the choir's artistic director since 1961. He is a People's Artist of Russia, a professor, an Honorable Citizen of Nizhny Novgorod, a laureate of international contests and a composer. His renowned colleagues believe Mr. Sivukhin is one of the most prominent figures in the art of choir.

The Boy's Choir has a diverse repertoire ranging from classical things to contemporary music. The young singers particularly cherish music written by local composers specifically for the choir.

The "singing gentlemen's community" plays an important role in Nizhny Novgorod's social and cultural life. The boys take part in the Sakharov Art Festival, operas and concerts for servicemen, and also actively cooperate with the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic Orchestra.

Not every graduate devotes his life to professional career in music, but some of those who did have reached appreciable heights in this vocation. They work both in Russia and abroad. Three people have become People's Artists of Russia; one has been awarded a State Prize. The choir has raised nine professors.

In 2001, the year of the 800th anniversary of the Latvian capital city of Riga, the Choir is performing at the Fourth International Riga Dome Cathedral Festival alongside the best boy's choirs from Germany, Latvia, the United States, Finland and France. The Latvian President is the sponsor of the event. The Festival's rules normally ban singers from participating more than once, but the Nizhny Novgorod Boy's Choir, as one of the world's ten best boy's choirs, is going for the second time. The Music for Peace Boy's Choir Festival was held in March of 2001, devot-cd to the 55th anniversary of the Nizhny Novgorod Boy's Choir. Many similar choirs arrived in Nizhny Novgorod to congratulate our singers.

see also: Nizhegorodsky choral college

By the materials of book "Anniversary Nizhny"