On March 14, 2025, the cultural horizon of Russia gleamed with the announcement of the XV All-Russian Andrei Petrov Festival, set to take place between September 19 and November 30, 2025, across eight cities. Revitalized by the A.P. Petrov Foundation and backed by Russia's Ministry of Culture, this festival promises to celebrate the extensive and multifaceted musical legacy of the late composer Andrei Petrov.
First initiated back in 2019, the festival aims to gather creative teams and soloists from major Russian cities such as Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg. Participants will include prominent artists, celebrated People's Artists of Russia, and winners of both national and international competitions, ensuring a wide representation of talent and expertise.
What sets this festival apart is its commitment to blending academia and popular music. For each host city, organizers design unique programs featuring famed movie soundtracks as well as lesser-known compositions, enhancing the audience's knowledge of Petrov's oeuvre. The festival will consistently feature the composer’s academic works, including symphonies and suites from his celebrated operas and ballets like "Creation of the World" and "Peter I."
To give audiences access to the festivities, organizers have pledged to keep the events accessible, symptomatically demonstrating their commitment to appreciation of culture across socioeconomic divides.
Alongside the festival, the XIX Open Competition for Composers named after A.P. Petrov will run from March 10 to November 25, 2025. Launched in 2007, the competition has seen over three hundred entries for the symphonic music category alone, with around five hundred candidates competing for the song and pop romance category. This year, the competition will be particularly notable for its introduction of new categories, including “Music for Cinema” and “Song for Children.”
This year’s competition will be juried by illustrious figures from the world of music and culture, including renown composers, conductors, and artists who have greatly influenced Petrov's legacy. An impressive slate of past jury members has included personalities such as Gia Kancheli, Aleksandr Zatsepin, and Eduard Artemyev.
The competition garners attention not only due to its historic prowess but also because it sacrifices entry fees. This fosters participation and talents across Russia and even internationally. Finalists will be invited to perform at the grand finale concert staged at some of St. Petersburg's best concert halls.
A hallmark of the festival’s commitment to youth engagement, the XIX Children’s Open Composers and Performers Competition, themed “Everything is for the Best in This Bright World,” will also take place from September 1 to December 16, 2025. It invites students from music and art schools nationwide, providing young composers and performers opportunities to showcase their work. The gala concert for this competition, now accompanied by a symphonic orchestra, offers young talents the unique experience of hearing their works performed live.
Topping this year’s roster is the concert titled “Your Andrei Petrov,” scheduled for September 26, 2025, at the Oktyabrsky Big Concert Hall. This event marks the 80th anniversary of Petrov's birth and will intricately weave narratives from the book “Your Andrei Petrov,” comprising reflections from notable figures such as Yuri Temirkanov and Eldar Ryazanov, along with lesser-known individuals who had personal connections with the eminent composer.
Audience members can look forward to experiencing Petrov's beloved compositions, spectacularly presented through advanced stagecraft, which promises to deepen the thematic resonance and emotional experience of each piece.
From August 7, 2025, until March 1, 2026, the exhibition “Andrei Petrov. Not Only Cinema,” will take place in Moscow, charting the diverse musical talent and creative path of Petrov, shedding light on his lasting impact.
The exhibition will be divided thematically, covering Petrov's biography, academic works, film scores, and engagement with contemporary music. This multi-faceted portrayal will effectively contextualize his contributions and the way his music continues to resonate today.
Meanwhile, from October 16 to 19, 2025, events titled “Days of Andrei Petrov's Music” will run concurrently in the Saratov region alongside October 3 to November 29 events planned for the Irkutsk region. Saratov’s program will feature operatic performances and musical spectacles, embracing the full scope of Petrov's artistry.
Accessibility remains central to the festival's ethos; tickets for some performances will be made available free of charge to families of current participants of the Special Military Operation (SMO) and families with children with disabilities, grounding the festival firmly within social responsibility.
Perhaps one of the most innovative additions is the collaborative retrospective cinemas series "Retrospective of Films with Andrei Petrov’s Music," which will run from August 22 to the end of September 2025, showcasing films from Petrov's earlier career, such as "The Amphibious Man" and later critically celebrated works like "Poor, Poor Pavel.”
The series will allow audiences to forge connections between Petrov's cinematic contributions and the evolution of Russian film music, making these events more enriching and knowledgeable.
With each initiative, the A.P. Petrov Foundation and its collaborators are creating opportunities for musicians, audiences, and communities alike, all the more underscoring Kim's timeless sentiment about music: it is not just to be heard but felt, shared, and passed down through the ages.