New Life for Bass Instruments - 2024

«New Life of Bass Instruments - 2024»: Call for Applications

What a large instrument loses in clarity of tone, it gains in softness and depth.
Leopold Mozart

From March 7 to 9, 2024 , the III International Festival «New Life of Bass Instruments» will be held in St. Petersburg, organized by the State Academic Russian Orchestra named after V.V. Andreev within the framework of the project «Creative Laboratory of the Andreevsky Orchestra».

The Festival will include the 1st All-Russian Open Competition of Young Performers on Bass Instruments of the Russian Orchestra.

In the history of musical culture, bass instruments of both symphony and Russian orchestras did not immediately find their way to solo performance. They were an indispensable part of the orchestra, but only in the 20th and 21st centuries did they begin to attract the attention of performers and composers. Outstanding soloists emerged, and many composers found fresh inspiration in the still unexplored deep sound of bass instruments. The development of solo performance on these instruments is currently in the process of development. At this stage, the exchange of experience between professional performers and the introduction of bass instruments to listeners is especially important. These are the goals that the organizers of the «New Life of Bass Instruments» festival set for themselves.

It is no coincidence that this significant project is being implemented by the first ever orchestra of Russian instruments – the Andreevsky Orchestra. From the very beginning of its activity, the team, under the leadership of its founder V.V. Andreev was an innovator who paved the way into a previously unexplored area – concert performance on national instruments of the Russian people. The creation of the Great Russian Orchestra naturally entailed the creation of new instruments, including bass balalaikas and double bass balalaikas, and then bass domras.

The festival will bring together the best musicians from Russia and neighboring countries - soloists on bass instruments of the Russian orchestra. Bass domras, bass balalaikas and double bass balalaikas in the hands of festival participants will be heard in the concert halls of St. Petersburg.

Applications for participation in the festival and competition will be accepted until February 15, 2024.

Application for participation in the Festival, soloists:
https://forms.yandex.ru/u/657b2e64c417f38e620f537e/ 

Application for participation in the Festival, ensembles:
https://forms.yandex.ru/u/657b322b43f74f9516c64215/ 

Application for participation in the Festival, conference speakers:
https://forms.yandex.ru/u/657b437650569095c52fbb35/

Application for participation in the Competition:
https://forms.yandex.ru/u/657b1f99e010db908d4e6096/

Auditions of the competition participants' performances are held in two stages:

The first round (qualifying stage) will be held from February 20 to 25, 2024 in a remote format.

The 2nd round (competition auditions) will take place on March 7, 2024 in the format of in-person auditions of participants and will be part of the program of the 3rd International Festival «New Life of Bass Instruments».

Detailed information in the Festival Regulations