The ensemble took part in the All-Russian Folk Art Festival dedicated to the composer A.P. Averkin.

One of the glorious traditions of Russian musical culture is the annual (since 1997) holding in the Sasovsky municipal district of the Ryazan region the All-Russian Festival of Folk Art in memory of the Honorary Citizen of the city of Sasovo, the Honored Artist of Russia, composer Alexander Averkin.

In 2026, the XXIX All-Russian Festival of Folk Art, dedicated to the composer A.P. Averkin, combines two themes. The main theme of the event is the memory and creative legacy of Alexander Petrovich Averkin, the author of more than 800 works that remain popular today. However, the festival, held in the composer's hometown, takes on a special significance this year, as it coincides with the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the city of Sasovo. Exactly 100 years ago, in the summer of 1926, the village of Sasovo officially became a city by a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

The Averkin Festival is a true celebration of the arts. It features performances by popular artists, composers, poets, cultural figures, and representatives of the creative intelligentsia from Moscow, Ulyanovsk, Tambov, Sevastopol, and other Russian cities. This year, the festival has reached an international level, with the participation of representatives from Belarus.

The opening ceremony of the festival, which took place on July 3, 2026, was attended by the head of the administration of the Sasovsky municipal district, Evgeniya Rubtsova. She noted the high level and growth of the scale of the event, and warmly thanked all its organizers and participants. “Russian song has always helped to preserve the strength of spirit, faith and resilience of our compatriots. Helped to stand up and move forward, filled with hope and love. I am sure that this will always be the case. And the All-Russian Averkin Festival is a true confirmation of this!” – said Evgeniya Ivanovna.

The honorary guests of the concert held as part of the Averkin Festival on July 4, 2026, were 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 Hero of the Russian Federation Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov, the Governor of the Ryazan Region Pavel Viktorovich Malkov, and the Head of the Department of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation for the Ryazan Region, Lieutenant General of Police. Viktor Mikhailovich Lachev.

The presence of the head of the National Guard at the festival is especially touching, as Viktor Zolotov is a native of Sasovo. His participation in the event is a sign of special support for the preservation of folk art. Addressing the organizers, artists, and guests of the festival, Viktor Vasilyevich said, “I would like to express my gratitude to those who have put their hearts and souls into making this remarkable artistry a new force. It is reviving the love of the great Russian culture in the hearts of new generations.”

In his speech, Governor Pavel Malkov noted that Alexander Averkin's work is an important part of Russia's cultural heritage and emphasized the significance of the festival for the region.

One of the participants of the Averkin Festival in 2026 was the Academic Order of Merit in Culture and Art 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, Hero of Labor of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev. As part of the event, two concerts of the Ensemble were held – on July 3, the artists performed on the stage of the Municipal Cultural Center in Sasovo, and on July 4 – in the city park “40 years of the Komsomol”.

Both concert programs were dominated by patriotic works – songs from the war years, songs by Soviet composers, and modern vocal and choreographic compositions dedicated to the heroic deeds of the war generations and the glorious history of Russia. Today, these works take on a new and relevant meaning. The audience received with deep feeling the opening song of S. Tulikov based on S. Ostrovoy's poems "You are my Russia" in a heartfelt performance by the Ensemble's soloist, People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, D. Maidanov's song " Flag of My State "(soloists-Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania Evgeny Yakhin and Roman Nepomnyashchikh), S. Trofimov's song "Rodina" (soloists-People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev, Honored Artist of the Republic of Dagestan Alexey Kholyavko, Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania Danila Korenev and Denis Tumanov), O. Gazmanov's song "I was born in the Soviet Union" (soloists – Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev and Honored Artist of the Republic of Dagestan Alexey Kholyavko, Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Danila Korenev and Denis Tumanov). Alexey Kholyavko), two songs performed by the soloist-Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Grigory Yakovlev: "To Serve Russia "(muz. E. Khank, sl. I. Reznik) and the legendary "Smuglyanka" (music by A. Novikov, sl. Ya. Shvedov), a medley on the themes of soldiers ' songs (composition by A. Kukharenko, soloists-Honored Artist of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic Alexander Kochov, Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Igor Safonov, Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Evgeny Yakhin, Honored Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan Ruslan Abdrafikov, Konstantin Kuzmin, Alexey Bosykh, Mikhail Mamonov, Viktor Lezhnin and Mikhail Zaraev), fantasies on the themes of songs by the Lyube group performed by the balalaika quartet (consisting of: laureates of international competitions Kirill Lavrushkin, Ivan Pivovarov, Rifat Akchurin and the head of the quartet Ivan Stepanov), as well as vocal and choreographic compositions: "Home with Victory" (staged by Honored Artist of Russia A. Safronov, arranged by A. Zarkov, soloist-People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva), " When we were at war "(music by V. Stolyarov, sl. D. Samoilov, soloist-Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Igor Safonov)"Guards of Music" (music by A. Melnikov, staged by the Honored Artist of Russia Ivan Zhelnov, soloist-Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-AlaniaArtem Melnikov) and "Open Heart" (music and lyrics by Y. Dronov, soloist – Anton Baybakov).

According to tradition, the concert program included folk songs, such as the Russian folk song "Down the Mother Volga" (arranged by V. Belyaev, performed by Alexander Starodubrovsky) and a medley of Belarusian songs (composed by Gleb Kardasevich, performed by Alexander Kokhov, Grigory Yakovlev, Viktor Lezhnin, Konstantin Kuzmin, and Alexey Bosykh), as well as the song "Where are you running, my dear path?" (music by E.Rodygina, lyrics by A. Prishelts, soloist – People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva), which features Russian and Ural folk tunes, and the old romance "The Bell Rings Monotonously" (music by A. Gurilev, lyrics by I. Makarov, arrangement by A. Rosenblat, soloist – Honored Artist of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Alexander Kokhov).

The choir group of the A Cappella Ensemble performed the song "The Lake Sleeps" by the 19th-century German composer Heinrich Pfeil and the composition "Echo" by Orlando di Lasso, one of the greatest masters of Renaissance music.

The audience was delighted by the performance of a medley of songs from Leonid Utyosov's repertoire (composed by the Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Mazanov, with soloists including the People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, the Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev, the Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Grigory Yakovlev, Mikhail Zarayev, and the vocal quartet of the Ensemble: the Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Bazylko, the Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Mark Novikov, Nikolai Alifanov, and Vitaly Lansky), as well as humorous songs: "The Boys Went on a spree" (music by A. Kasiev, soloists-Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev and Honored Artist of the Republic of Dagestan Alexey Kholyavko) and "I'll take you to the tundra" (music by M. Fradkin, music by M. Plyatskovsky, soloists-Honored Artists of the Republic of Buryatia Ruslan Samozhapov and Norpol Tsydenov) and sparkling "Gypsy Fantasy" (composition and arrangement by I. Golubev, I. Kadomtsev, choreography by Artur Bogdanov, soloists-People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev, Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Grigory Yakovlev).

"You can't build happiness on someone else's misfortune" is the title of a song by Alexander Averkin, which was performed at a concert in his memory by a virtuoso quartet of balalaika players and People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva.

The concert ended with the chorus "Glory" from Mikhail Glinka's opera "A Life for the Tsar" ("Ivan Susanin"), a monumental work that vividly embodies the image of the great victorious Russian people.

The Ensemble's leader, Victor Eliseev, thanked the festival organizers and the audience for their warm welcome, and wished everyone a peaceful sky, good health, success in their work, and family well-being.

The concerts were hosted by the Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, Honored Artist of Russia, Honorary Officer of the National Guard, Colonel Igor Shustikov.

The 2026 Averkin Festival was not just a celebration of folk songs in honor of the composer Alexander Averkin, but a significant cultural event for the entire Ryazan region.