The ensemble gave charity concerts for its members in Sasovo

One of the glorious musical traditions carefully maintained in Russia is the annual holding in early July in the Sasovo municipal district of the Ryazan region of the All-Russian Festival of Folk Art in memory of honorary citizen of the city of Sasovo, honored artist of Russia, composer Alexander Averkin. This year - the year of the 90th anniversary of the composer's birthday - the Averkin Festival is being held for the 28th time.

The Averkin Festival is a real celebration of the arts. Every year more and more popular artists, poets, composers, cultural figures, representatives of the creative intelligentsia of Moscow and other regions of Russia take part in it. At the opening ceremony of the festival, which took place on July 4, 2025, the guests were greeted by the First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Ryazan Region Denis Bokov, the composer's widow Galina Averkina and members of the jury.

The artists of the Academic Order "For Merit in Culture and Art" of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation under the direction of the artistic director and chief conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General, Hero of Labor of Russia Viktor Eliseev performed for the participants and guests of the festival with two concert programs:

On July 4, a charity concert of the Ensemble was held in the Municipal Cultural Center of the city of Sasovo, to which participants of the special military operation and their family members were invited.

On July 5, the Ensemble gave a concert at the festival site as part of the gala concert, the most spectacular event of the festival. This year, the gala concert attracted more than 10 thousand spectators.

The program of both concerts included the best vocal and choreographic numbers from the Ensemble's repertoire: pieces on military-patriotic themes, songs from the war years and songs about that Great War written after the Victory, songs from popular Soviet films, and original dance compositions.

Both concerts were opened by the vocal and choreographic composition "Valor and Honor" (music and lyrics by A. Zaitsev, production by Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania Ivan Zhelnov, soloist - Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev).

 No one was left indifferent by the works beloved by several generations of Russians: "March of the Artillerymen" (T. Khrennikov - V. Gusev), "Song of War Correspondents" (M. Blanter - K. Simonov), a medley of war song themes "Soldier's Suite" (composition by A. Kukharenko, soloists - Honored Artist of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Alexander Kokhov, Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Igor Safonov, Honored Artists of the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania Mikhail Zarayev and Evgeny Yakhin, soloists of the Ensemble: Konstantin Kuzmin, Denis Khludnev, Alexey Bosykh, Mikhail Mamonov, Viktor Lezhnin), "Smuglyanka" (A. Novikov - Ya. Shvedov, soloist - Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Grigory Yakovlev), the Cossack romance "Not for me" (N. Devitte - A. Molchanov, soloist - Igor Safonov), the romance "The bell rattles monotonously" (A. Gurilev - I. Makarov, soloist - Honored Artist of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Alexander Kokhov), the Russian folk song "Down along the mother, along the Volga", as well as works by modern authors: the song "Belarus" (A. Pakhmutova - N. Dobronravov), a song in the folk-rock genre "I'll go out into the field with a horse at night" (I. Matvienko - A. Shaganov) and the song "Argo" from the musical "Argonauts" (A. Basilia - D. Bagashvili) performed by the vocal octet and soloist - Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Bazylko, the surprisingly kind composition "The boys went on a spree" (music and lyrics by A. Kasiev, soloists - Alexey Dmitriev and Alexey Kholyavko), "I was born in the Soviet Union" (music and lyrics by O. Gazmanov, soloists - Alexey Dmitriev and Alexey Kholyavko) and other musical numbers.

With special feeling, the audience, among whom were many SVO participants and their family members, listened to the performance of the uplifting patriotic song "Vstanem" (author of music and lyrics - Ya. Dronov) performed by the soloist of the Ensemble Evgeny Nasonov.

The applause of the grateful audience did not cease for a long time after the performance of the People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, who brilliantly performed two songs by Alexander Averkin - "Going on leave" (based on the lyrics by V. Bokov) and "Mama, dear mama" (based on the lyrics by I. Lashkov).

As at every concert of the Ensemble, the dance and vocal-choreographic compositions had great success with the audience: “Guards of Music” (music and lyrics by A. Melnikov, soloist – Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Artem Melnikov), “Barynya” (the staging of both of these numbers was performed by Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Ivan Zhelnov), the comic comthe composition “I’ll take you to the tundra” (M. Fradkin - M. Plyatskovsky, soloists – Honored Artist of the Republic of Buryatia Norpol Tsydenov and Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Alexander Buzganov) and, of course, the sparkling, bright, life-affirming “Gypsy Fantasy” (composition and arrangement I. Golubeva, I. Kadomtseva, choreography by Arthur Bogdanov, soloists - People's Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva, Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Dmitriev, Evgeniy Nasonov).

The final chord of the Ensemble's concert program was the performance of the march "Farewell of Slavyanka" (V. Agapkin - A. Fedotov). Written more than 100 years ago, this march is today perceived as a symbol of the Russian spirit, inseparable from the history of Russia.

The host of the concerts was Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, Colonel Igor Shustikov.

At the end of the gala concert, the artistic director and chief conductor of the Ensemble, People's Artist of Russia Viktor Eliseev thanked the festival organizers and the audience for the warm welcome and emphasized that today the artists of the group entrusted to him performed with special energy and a special sense of responsibility to the participants of the special military operation and to their families. He noted that the Ensemble has performed many times in the SVO zone. "Those who today, with weapons in hand, defend the interests of our Motherland, are our most sincere, most grateful spectators," said Viktor Petrovich. "We are united in our desire for Victory. And Victory will be ours!".