An Invitation to a Concert

Founded in 1946, the Gorky Boys’ Choir Chapel is a music school of a special type and at the same time a children’s choral performing collective that is constantly engaged in concert activity.

The basis of the Chapel’s teaching is work in the choral class, as well as lessons in solfège, piano and conducting. 150 pupils have graduated from the Chapel, most of whom now work as choirmasters.

In three decades the boys’ choir has given more than 750 concerts in Gorky, Moscow, the cities of the Volga region, Kirov, Novosibirsk, Vologda and elsewhere. The Chapel’s concert repertoire consists of more than 500 works of folk music, Russian and Western classics and contemporary composition. A special place is occupied by works by Gorky composers written specially for the Chapel.

The boys’ choir performs both on its own and together with an adult choir, a symphony orchestra, an organ and other ensembles, as well as in opera productions. In our city the boys’ choir chapel takes part in all major concerts. The boys perform with particular pleasure at industrial enterprises in our city and in rural districts of the region, giving practical and methodological help to local amateur choral groups.

The Boys’ Choir Chapel is a laureate of the Gorky Komsomol prize. At the All-Russian competition of patriotic music the boys’ choir was awarded the title of laureate.

At present 100 pupils study at the Chapel.

The organiser and first director of the Choir Chapel was the talented choral figure V. P. Malyshev. Today the Chapel employs its former pupils: artistic director L. K. Sivukhin, choirmaster and director V. A. Popov, and teachers A. I. Kanakov, A. G. Shestakov, Yu. A. Panfilov, S. Ya. Terkhanov, A. I. Bezukhov and O. N. Poletaev.