Ahead of the opening of the concert season, the Yaroslavl Academic Governor’s Symphony Orchestra met with members of the press and bloggers at an informal press breakfast. The meeting opened with a presentation of the Chamber Orchestra of YAGSO soloists, founded in August 2026 on the initiative of Principal Conductor Vasily Valitov. This ensemble promises to become a fresh voice on Yaroslavl’s classical music scene, bringing together bright young musicians. The new chamber orchestra’s first concert will take place on 13 September at the Strelka.
Vasily Valitov shared his plans for the coming season with journalists, speaking about new creative projects, upcoming premieres and the orchestra’s touring schedule. The maestro noted that the orchestra would continue to develop and surprise audiences with unconventional programmes and a high level of performance.
Svetlana Kostyshina, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Yaroslavl Region, who attended the meeting, congratulated the musicians on the start of the new season. She noted that the orchestra has undergone a number of significant positive changes in recent years. At the invitation of Vasily Valitov, world-class stars regularly perform with the orchestra. The minister also noted that the orchestra pays great attention to working with the younger generation, and the creation of the Chamber Orchestra of soloists is a direct confirmation of this.
The orchestra is proud to continue its collaboration with the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Alexander Baranov, PhD in Art History, spoke via video link about the upcoming Harp Festival. The press breakfast also saw the presentation of the orchestra’s new official website, where visitors can not only buy tickets but also get to know the artists and follow the latest news about the orchestra’s activities: yaagso.ru.
A pleasant addition to the creative plans was the presentation of the «Music with Flavour» project, created together with the Svet i Zarya chain of cafés and bakeries.
Members of the press and bloggers also had the opportunity to ask questions of the conductor and the orchestra’s musicians — Anatoly Oselkov, Alexey Chugaev and the ensemble’s young member Lali Iritsyan. The musicians shared their creative plans, spoke about their everyday work in the orchestra, and what taking part in the new chamber project means to them. To conclude, the guests attended a dress rehearsal of the concert «Autumn. Tango. Capriccio», which will take place on 10 September. The evening’s programme will feature works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, as well as musical pages inspired by tango and southern colour. Audiences will hear the premiere of a work by Luis Bacalov — a concerto for soprano, bandoneon, piano and orchestra. The composer won an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
