Music and spirituality: a new festival in Tolga

From September 8 to 11, 2025, the Moscow stage of the All-Russian Festival “Modern Music Map of Russia” will be held at Nikita Mikhalkov’s Workshop “12”. This year, the festival will be presented by Yaroslavl Bayanist and composer Andrei Stepanenko, head of the Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments named after N.N. Nekrasov.

Stepanenko was inspired by the St. Vvedensky Tolga Monastery, where he often rode a bicycle as a child. He remembered the monastery, especially its rich history: from the colony to the Orthodox monastery, where the relics of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) and the first female monastery in Russia are located. The main shrine is the miraculous icon of the Tolga Mother of God.

Stepanenko created a play for the orchestra of Russian instruments “Before the icon of the St. Theotokos of Tolga”, based on personal experience and empathy. Within the framework of the festival, 89 musical works from composers from all regions of the Russian Federation will be performed and recorded for the first time, and the play will premiere on September 9. The project is implemented with the support of the Foundation for Innovative Development of Culture, Education, Science (FIRCON) and the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, and the best works will be included in the program of the gala concert dedicated to the Day of National Unity, which will be held on November 4 in the National Center of Russia.