Performance on the stage of the Central Park named after the 40th anniversary of the Komsomol in Sasovo

In the city of Sasovo, Ryazan region, the XXVI All-Russian Festival of folk art, dedicated to Honored Artist of Russia, composer Alexander Averkin, continues.

The festival is always a true celebration of art, both for the composer's fellow countrymen and for his guests. Every year, the festival becomes more significant, not only for the residents of the Ryazan region, but also for the entire country. Given the high status of the event, it traditionally invites popular artists, poets, composers, cultural and artistic figures, and creative intellectuals from Moscow and other regions of Russia.

On June 30, 2023, the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard of the Russian Federation held a concert at the Municipal Cultural Center in Sasovo as part of the All-Russian Festival of Folk Art.

This year, the festival's guests included: The Donbass State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble from the Donetsk People's Republic, the Ryazan State Academic Russian Folk Choir named after E.G. Popov, the Russian Cossack Ensemble, People's Artist of Russia Oleg Ivanov, the vocal trio Lada, Honored Artist of Russia Valery Semin, and other artists.

The most spectacular event of the festival was the gala concert held on July 1, 2023, at the summer stage of the Central Park named after the 40th anniversary of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League. At the gala concert, which attracted more than 10,000 spectators, the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation performed a large concert program under the direction of the artistic director and chief conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev

Among the guests of honor were representatives of the state authorities of the Ryazan Region, the city of Sasovo, the Director of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation – Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, Army General Viktor Zolotov, and war and labor veterans.

The concert opened with a lyrical song "Learn to love people" (music by Alexander Averkin, lyrics by Viktor Bokov) performed by the leading soloist of the Ensemble, People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva. The audience warmly welcomed the performance of the Ensemble's soloist with prolonged applause.

The concert featured songs from the Great Patriotic War, including "The Artillerymen's March" (T. Khrennikov, V. Gusev) and "The Song of War Correspondents" (M. Blanter, K. Simonov, performed by Alexey Kholyavko, an Honored Artist of the Republic of Dagestan).

The Balalaika Quartet led by Ivan Stepanov presented to the audience the fiery composition "Kamarinskaya".

The performances of the Ensemble's leading soloist, People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, always bring delight to the audience. In the festive concert, the singer performed the lyrical song "Sweet Grove" (music by Oktyabr Grishin, lyrics by Matryona Smirnova) with great emotion.

The ensemble's dance group performed the choreographic compositions "Home with Victory" (directed by Honored Artist of Russia A. Safronov and musical arrangement by A. Zarkov), with Alexey Rayushkin, Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia, as the soloist, and "Golden Khokhloma" (directed by Honored Artist of Russia Petr Kovalev).

The works of Russian classics are very organically woven into the concert program of the Ensemble. The audience warmly welcomed the performance of the soloist of the Ensemble, Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Volzhanin, who sang the song "Russia is Free" (A. Novikov, S. Alymov).

The legendary "Smuglyanka" (by A. Novikov and Y. Shvedov) was performed by Grigory Yakovlev, a soloist of the Ensemble and an Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia.

The song about the National Guardsmen "Valor and Honor" (by A.V. Zaitsev) was performed by the Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev, the choir, and the orchestra of the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard of the Russian Federation.

Alexey Kholyavko, an Honored Artist of the Republic of Dagestan, performed the heroic song "For Donbass" (by Sergey Voytenko and Alexander Ganichev).

The festive concert traditionally ended with the song "Farewell, Slavonic" (V. Agapkin, A. Fedotov) performed by the choir and orchestra of the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation under the direction of the artistic director and chief conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev.

The audience did not let their favorite artists go for a long time, giving them a long round of applause.

"I am happy that I discovered this magnificent Sasovo festival last year. And this time, we came to Sasovo as if we were going home. The atmosphere here is amazing, the city is cozy, and the people are friendly and welcoming," said the head of the Rosgvardia Ensemble.

The concert was hosted by the Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, Honored Artist of Russia, Colonel Igor Shustikov.