The festival is a part of a unique project, Big Arts to Small Towns. It is not accidental that the programme starts in Satka. This city has been supporting the tradition of Philharmonic Meetings for several years already thus having grown a new generation of classical music lovers. In this city, one of the last concerts of Elena Obraztsova took place, while her performance of Carmen in the opera of Georges Bizet is deemed excellent and flawless all over the world.

“We are often criticized that all cultural events take place in Chelyabinsk or Magnitogorsk. Especially if it deals with high art,– Grigory Tsukerman, the first deputy minister of culture of the Chelyabinsk Region remarked. – Mission of the state is to make highly artistic works of art available for general public to the greatest degree possible”. 

For six days Satka will turn into the international music center. March 17 – 22, it will host the festival aimed to honour the outstanding Russian singer, opera director, teacher, people’s artist of the USSR Elena Obraztsova. Glinka’s Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre has acted as co-provider of Carmen, E. V. Obraztsova’s International Festival of Classical Music. Magnezit Group has become the initiator of the large-scale project.

“The programme we have developed consists of different music genres. The festival will be opened by gala concert, where students and director of Elena Obraztsova’s international music academy, daughter of the great singer Elena Makarova will perform, – Vladimir Dosaev, director of the Glinka’s Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet, emphasized.

March 17, the gala concert in honour of E.V. Obraztsova will be held.

March 18, spectators will be shown Cinderella, the musical, and Carmina Burana on-stage cantata (staged by the Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet).

March 19, the Magnitogorsk Opera and Ballet Theatre will bring Carmen opera.

March 20, The Great Elena film about life and creativity of Elena Obraztsova will be shown during the festival.

March 21, the concert of children’s on-stage performance groups of Satka and Sozvuchie  mining area will take place.

The festival will be closed March 22 with the concert beyond the festival programme. The event provides offered the format “the festival as guest of the festival”. Denis Matsuev will complete the first Carmen festival with Classics & Jazz programme.

Obraztsova’s International Music Academy will conduct master classes for children and teachers. Besides, the exhibition telling of Elena Obraztsova will be opened in Magnezit Cultural Center throughout the festival.

You can buy tickets in Magnezit Cultural Cente (Satka) or in offices for cultural affairs of municipalities.

It is planned to make Carmen festival an annual cultural event. The next year, event providers plan to arrange outdoor performances and performance in one of production workshops of Magnezit.

Festival website