Federal State Budget Cultural Establishment Music House

The St-Petersburg Music House was founded in February 2006 under the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Culture. The main task of this organization is to promote classical music, to revive performance traditions and to prepare young Russian musicians for international competitions and festivals. The main attention is paid to 16-30 year-old soloists of orchestral specialities, students and graduates of the conservatories.

Professor Sergey Roldugin, cellist and conductor, People’s Artist of Russia, who headed earlier the Saint Petersburg State Music Conservatory in the name of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov ( in 2003-2004) has become a founder and the art director of this new establishment. According to Sergey Roldugin, a young performing musician should have a serious concert responsibility for his successful creative work, therefore meeting with public, the best teacher, represents a fundamental difference between the academic concert and a public one. During such performances a young soloist will perform not like a student testing his skills, but as a professional who is expected to give a remarkable performance to his audience.

The Saint-Petersburg Music House offers performances on the best concert venues, master-classes given by outstanding masters, an experience of play with a symphony orchestra to participants of its programs combined under a common name of the Higher Performance Courses. All these opportunities are absolutely free of charge for young musicians. A considerable part of expenses associated with realization of the projects for young people initialized by the Saint Petersburg Music House is contributed by charity members.

Russian public knows very well the name of the St. Petersburg Music House thanks to its concerts conducted in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and cities Volga region. In 2006-2011 over 260 concerts with more than 420 soloist performances were held. ”Young Interpreters of Russia”, “Music Team of Russia” ( Tambov, Petrozavodsk, Togliatti, Omsk), “Music of Stars” with participation of symphony orchestra of the Saint-Petersburg Capella and philharmonic orchestra in Caucasian Mineralnye Vody, “River of Talents” on the Volga river – all these concert programs over five seasons were attended by more than 100 thousand listeners. Over 60 contestants of programs realized by the St. Petersburg Music House have become recently award winners in the international competitions.

In October 2005 the Russian Government granted a unique architectural landmark – the Palace of Grand Duke Alexey Alexandrovich, brother of the emperor Alexander III ( 122 A Moyka embankment, St. Petersburg) to the St. Petersburg Music House. In September 2009 the first guests, contestants of the River of Talents-2009 project, were welcomed in its halls.

The pearl of the Palace of Duke Alexey Alexandrovich, the English Hall in the Renaissance style, is the largest room in the palace. The most important element of the architectural interior design is a ceiling stucco which decorative elements come back to the English stucco plafonds of the 16th-17th centuries. Also an important part in the hall architecture and design belongs to doors richly embellished with numerous opulent carved and fretted elements. Lion masks on the ceiling, oak trim, and a female figure resembling those gracing ship bows decorate this grand passage leading to the Chinese Reception Room. Since 2010 the English Hall has become a concert hall of the St. Petersburg Music House. Opening of a new concert venue took place on the 24th of April.