Union of Soviet Composers

Union of composers of Russian Federation

Union of composers of Russian Federation — Russian public organization uniting professional composers and musicologists from 48 regions of Russia.

The Union of composers of Russian Federation is an assignee, founded in 1960, the Union of composers of Russian SFSR. At the First Constituent Congress, which has taken place in Moscow, in April, 1960, unanimously, Dmitry Shostakovich has been elected as the First Secretary of Board.

Since then, the Union of composers was headed by:

• Dmitry Shostakovich (1960 — 1968)

• Georgy Sviridov (1968 — 1973)

• Rodion Shchedrin (1973 — 1990)

• Vladislav Kazenin (1990 — 2014)

• Rashid Kalimullin (since December, 2015)

Priority activities of the organization are:

- development and strengthening of the composer organizations in regions;

- stimulation and creation of ample opportunities for composer creativity;

- advance of musical culture and compositions of the Russian composers in Russia and abroad;

- development and support of youth composer creativity;

- protection of copyright of composers;

- edition of notes and record of discs, and also distribution of pieces of music;

- creation of positive image of the organization for expansion of opportunities and strengthening of the authority on musical space of the Russian Federation.

Festivals of the Union of composers of Russia: " Panorama of music of Russia", "Composers of Russia — to children", "Music of friends", "A solar circle".

Members of the Union of composers of Russia are 1011 composers and musicologists, many of which are conferred the state awards and ranks.

A Youth office of composers (MolOt) exists at the organization, since 2009. It has 26 representations in Russia and abroad.

Organisation history

The first Constituent Congress has taken place in Moscow, in April, 1960. Unanimously, Dmitry Shostakovich has been elected as the first secretary of Board.

Having headed the Union of composers, Dmitry Shostakovich, has concentrated the attention on strengthening of contacts with the local composer organizations. He has accurately established the general kind of work: discipline, professionalism and the perfected skill. Thanks to Dmitry Shostakovich's efforts, the role of the new Union increased every day and, soon, it becomes the organizing center of modern musical art. Public work didn't prevent creativity of the great composer, at this time he has created grandiose symphonic works, operas and ballets, oratorios and cantatas, chamber works, songs, music for theater and cinema - all this values of the highest standart. Possessing an insight of the ingenious artist, Dmitry Shostakovich has managed to create honest, ruthlessly truthful chronicle of the era. He has skillfully created the cordial human relations in "team", trying and being good to people, however, the state of health only worsening, have forced him, in 1968, to leave the post at the Second Congress. In memory of him, the Union of composers of Russia has founded in 1981, an award of Dmitry Shostakovich.

At the Second Congress, in 1968, Georgy Sviridov has been elected by the Chairman of the board.

Stanislav Stempnevsky has been appointed as the executive Secretary.

The third Congress of the Union of composers of Russia has taken place in 1973, in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions. At congress the new management of the Union of composers of Russia has been chosen. Rodion Shchedrin who Russian SFSR within the next 17 years became the Chairman of the board of the Union of composers. Andrey Eshpay was elected as the first Secretary. Vladislav Kazenin became the executive Secretary, and then the Vice-Chairman of the Union of composers. Jan Frenkel became the second Vice-Chairman.

The Secretariat had included composers of various regions of the country: F. Vasilyev (Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), R. Gazizov (Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), V. Krasnoskulov (Rostov-on-Don), V. Kupriyanov (Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), A. Novikov (Novosibirsk), A. Puzey (Sverdlovsk), M. Simanovsky (Saratov), M. Tariverdiev, V. Agafonnikov, musicologist Y. Korev (Moscow), B. Tishchenko, V. Uspensky (Leningrad), M. Yarullin (Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic).

Rodion Shchedrin and the Secretariat of the Union of composers of Russia, conducted huge work on preservation of the organizational and creative traditions of Dmitry Shostakovich shown in promotion of works of modern composers at musical forums of Russia.

A large number of the largest festivals in Omsk, the Tyumen region, Vilnius, Suzdal, Vladimir, Gorkiy, the cities of the North Caucasus has been carried out at that time. The festivals which have arisen during this period became traditional: " Panorama of music of Siberia" (Novosibirsk), "The Don spring", "A festival in Kuban", music holidays in Saratov, Ufa, Sverdlovsk, Gorkiy. There were new festivals, music holidays in Astrakhan, Krasnoyarsk, "Europe — Asia" — in Kazan, "The Tuva musical summer" — in Kyzyl and other cities of Tuva.

Traditions of their own have festivals of two last decades - " Panorama of music of Russia", "Composers of Russia — to children", "Music of friends" — a festival at which works of foreign composers are executed. "Panorama of music of Russia" is one of the largest and most authoritative festivals of modern music in our country. This festival has arisen in 1973, at the initiative of Rodion Shchedrin, and since 1995, is annually held in various regions of the country. Festival programs represent a set of composer names of modern Russia, give the chance to make a complete idea of wealth and national variety of musical creativity of modern Russia.

The form and geography of festivals of the Union of composers is extraordinary wide. Festivals are held not just in one city, but in several at once. In 2008, for example, children's festivals have taken place in Smolensk, Tver, Kirov and Saratov, and the "Panorama of Music of Russia" festival — in Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Lipetsk and Voronezh. Subject of these festivals and musical meetings, musicological conferences was diverse and considerable: "Composer-performer-listener", "The Soviet composers — to toilers of the village", "A folklore role in modern creativity", "An image of the contemporary in works of composers of Russia" and many others.

From 1990 to 2014 the post of the President of the Union of composers of Russia was held by Vladislav Kazenin.

Nearly a quarter of the century, heading the Union in difficult years of collapse of the USSR and reorganization, Vladislav Kazenin has managed to keep stability of the organization and to provide its sustainable development.

Vladislav Kazenin is the famous Russian composer, the author of operettas, musicals, ballets, compositions for chorus, a symphonic orchestra, a piano, tool concerts, songs and romances, music for movies, animated films and theatrical performances.

Thanks to big organizational work of the Secretariat of the Union of composers and the personal authority of Vladimir Kazenin, new creative offices have been created which became centres of music in the cities and the republics of Russia have been created. Thanks to them, strong links with the musical public, the concert organizations, educational institutions were formed. Artist collectives of composers have appeared in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Republic of Tyva, Mordovia, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk, Perm, the Republic of Adygea, Smolensk, Kaliningrad, Kirov, Komi Republic, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Bryansk, Penza, Belgorod, Chita (The transbaikal organization), Kaluga, Abakan (Republic of Khakassia), Moscow region. The beginning of activity of all new composer organizations was always followed by holding festivals, concerts and creative meetings.

At the Eleventh Congress, in December, 2015, Rashid Kalimullin has been elected by the President of the Union of composers of Russia.

Rashid Kalimullin – one of the leading Russian composers, the large musical public figure, the talented manager and the organizer. Since 1989 he headed the Union of composers of the Republic of Tatarstan, from 1995 to 2010 – the secretary and since 2010 – the Vice-Chairman of the Union of composers of Russia. Rashid Kalimullin is the author and the head of many large Russian and International projects, among them the international festival "Days of the Japanese and Tatar Music", the international festival of new music "Europe-Asia", the international project of symphony concerts "Pearls of the Russian and Tatar music", Russian musical festival "Names of Russia". He is also a founder of the" Center of modern music of Sofia Gubaidulina". The author of a large number of compositions in different genres: an opera, a symphony, a tool concert, music for an orchestra, chamber and vocal music.

Since 1986, the Union of composers of Russia, regularly holds the "Composers of Russia — to Children" festival. Every time a festival goes over with great success, in various cities of Russia and has a big resonance among youth. Within a festival a various number of creative meetings, concerts of children's music of the Russian composers take place. An addressee of these actions are students of general education institutions and musical schools.

The experience of the international work of the Union of composers is represented by the international festival "Music of Friends"

In 2015 the International festival competition of patriotic songs "Red Carnation", originating since 1967 has been revived.

Festivals of the Union of composers are held for promotion of works of professional modern composers of Russia, promoting development of creative cooperation and uniting with composer creativity of talented youth. One of main goals of actions of the Union of composers of Russia is the wide exposition of the best works of musical art and the presentation of genre variety of music.

Systematic work is carried out towards the organization of composer competitions: "The International competition in composition of Sergey Prokofiev", in St. Petersburg, Chairman of which is Rodion Shchedrin," The competition of Andrey Petrov "CRYSTAL KAMERTON", the Chairman A. Petrov, then – V. Kazenin,

"The international competition of young composers of P. Yurgenson", the Chairman V. Tarnopolsky, the Governor's international junior competition of

V. Gavrilin in Vologda, a children's competition in composition in Nizhny Novgorod and many others.

The Union of composers of Russia pays huge attention to education of creative youth. Since 2009, at the organization there is a Youth office of composers (MolOt) which is headed by Yaroslav Sudzilovsky. There regularly take place concerts of young composers, audition of new compositions, discussions about problems of composer creativity. Now, in various regions of our country, 26 representative offices of the MolOt tunction: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Ufa, Petrozavodsk, Kaliningrad, Saratov, Yakutia, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Belarus, France, Armenia, other cities and countries. Annually, since 2012,

"The international MolOt-Transfest" festival – a large-scale marathon of modern music where music of young authors from the different republics of the former USSR presented is held.

Union of composers of Russia is a creative association of composers and musicologists of different generations. Association which, despite the changed contours and the principles of the organization of the Russian musical life, is engaged in the major mission – moral and ethical education of the modern person.

Organisation structure

Secretariat of the Union of composers of Russia.

President - Rashid Kalimullin

Vice-President on organizational issues and work with regions of the Russian Federation - Evgeny Biktashev

Vice- President on creative issues - Mark Levyant

Vice- President on financial and economic issues- Igor Ringer

Secretaries of the Union of composers of Russia

Oleg Galakhov (Moscow)

Alexander Klevitsky (Moscow)

Alexander Thaikovsky (Moscow)

Andrey Baturin (Moscow)

Yaroslay Sudzilovsky (Moscow)

Kirill Umansky (Moscow)

Gleb Mai (Moscow region)

Vladimir Gurevich (St. Petersburg)

Alexander Pantykin (Yekaterinburg)

Igor Mashukov (Perm)

Konstantin Guzenko (Astrakhan)

Leyla Ismagilova (Republic of Bashkortostan)

Vladimir Kaluga (Novosibirsk)

Vladimir Chernyavsky (Krasnodar)

YOUTH OFFICE (MolOt) of the Union of Composers of Russia

HEAD: Yaroslav Sudzilovsky

References

OFFICE OF THE UNION OF COMPOSERS OF RUSSIA

125009, Russian Federation, city of Moscow,

8-10, Bryusov Lane, h- 2.

Phone: +7(495) 629-52-18

www.unioncomposers.ru

Mail: unioncomposers@mail.ru