T welve New Year events that you should visit together with your children New Year is a magic holiday that children love more than others. We have chosen several of the best events that we recommend you to visit so that your children's New Year holidays will be unforgettable and filled with magic. Photo: Getty Images "The Nutcracker" at the Bolshoi Theatre (December 17th - 31st, January 2nd - 8th) This production, based on E. Hof fmann's tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" and choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, will leave neither children, nor their parents indif ferent. The ballet is very dynamic, so a child will not be bored for sure. It is a wonderful and deep story that can not only make audience feel compassion, but also educate children and help them realize the difference between the good and the evil. The set is impeccable; you will have a unique opportunity to travel to a magical world that is hidden in our everyday life. The production will bring you the much-needed Christmas mood for sure. /…/ The Elena Obraztsova Music Academy will open in 2015 The opera diva Anna Netrebko, a soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre and Metropoltan Opera Ildar Abdrazakov, the rector of the Vaganova Academy Nikolay Tsiskaridze and the Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets laid a time capsule in the future building of the Elena Obraztsova Music Academy, located in the very heart of Saint Petersburg, in the Bolshoi Gostiny Dvor on the Nevsky Prospekt. The Academy of Music has been Elena Obraztsova's long cherished dream; she has addressed the administration of Saint Petersburg and Russia numerous times, hoping to find a way to bring it to life. Heads of the administration changed one another and they all said they were "in favor"; however, the years have passed, nothing happened and it seemed that this dream would never be realized. Luckily, the opera diva finally met with Nadezhda T ushakova, the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors at Bolshoy Gostinyi Dvor. At first she was going to have the building made into a business center, but considered Obraztsova's idea to be unique and global. Meticulous maintenance work has been done at the monument of 18th century architecture for one year (the construction of the Academy is organized as a part of the reconstruction of the Bolshoi Gostiny Dvor). Major improvements and renovation have been completed; some engineering and design work are still to be completed. December 8th was a big day: the doors of the future Academy opened, welcoming numerous guests. At noon a time capsule with a message from Elena Obraztsova, a People's Artist of the USSR and a living legend of the world opera was laid in the wall of the central hall. The opera diva, who has recently celebrated her 75th birthday at the Bolshoi Theatre, could not be present at this event, but she sent a message in the capsule, addressed to the future students of the Academy; it will be stored in this building forever. Here is this message: "My dear friends and like-minded people" - this is how I always address my colleagues, students and participants of my vocal competitions. I would like to address you, my distant friends-descendants, in the same way. I welcome you in our wonderful city of Saint Petersburg, the greatest city of the world, and at our Academy of Music, the academy of knowledge and creativity. If you could only know, how much happiness I wish you, and how much love we put into our Academy as we were thinking about you and about ways to help you in the very beginning of your creative career, support your talent and make sure it develops in the right direction. My dear fellow happiness-hunters! The greatest joy in life is to sing on the stage and to share with other people what your heart is full of. In order to be able to do this, one has to know a lot and to keep learning from everyone during his whole life. Opera means hard work, and it often requires sacrifice; nevertheless, it brings you joy and happiness. Remember: it is not possible to teach, but it is possible to learn. This Academy was founded in order to create a highly professional environment and to provide perspective singers with the opportunity to learn about the performing culture from outstanding masters and to get priceless knowledge and experience from them. Study hard to become musicians; this profession is one of the most rewarding in the world. Love art in all its forms, enlarge your knowledge of music, set big and audacious goals that can open new horizons for you. Each person is unique: listen to your heart and save your individuality, which is the most important thing. In this case people will be interested in you. Feel joy when you sing and make music passionately; trust in God that gave you this great gift of singing, bring good, beauty and love to people, because nothing real either in life or in art is possible without love. Love Russia, our Motherland, and save Russian culture, because a person is infertile without national roots. Believe in Russia as all great Russian people used to believe in it, and work for the good of the Russian culture, so that the continuity of time shall not be interrupted. I wish each of you a happy creative career; this Academy was founded in order to give you all a chance to start your careers in the great world of art". Obviously, the new project was inspired by spiritual motives, not commercial ones. Nadezhda Tushakova, the Director of the Gostiny Dvor, stressed: - The whole building will be given to the Elena Obraztsova Academy. W e are not going to turn it into a mall or to rent out some parts for offices. Olga Golodets said: - The opening of the Elena Obraztsova Academy of Music is a significant event not only for Saint Petersburg, but also for the Russian culture in general. Our culture has great people, and we are proud of the fact that we live in the same time with Elena V. Obraztsova. Fortunately, nowadays the greatest people of our culture devote their time to the youth as they continue the great traditions of our art in opera singing, choreography and music. We support such initiatives and help carry out such projects. We are grateful to Elena V. Obraztsova and we hope that the Academy will have its first students and will start working for the good of the Russian culture in the near future. The Elena Obraztsova International Academy of Music will open in August 2015; it will open its doors to the first students in September. The Academy is founded by the Bolshoi Gostiny Dvor and the Elena Obraztsova Foundation. There will be two directions of the Academy's activities: continuing professional education and supplementary education for children. The opera diva's famous friends from various countries will be teaching at the Academy. Elena Obraztsova would like to teach there as well; as we know, she gives wonderful master-classes in many parts of the world. Twenty young singers from all over the globe will be the first students of the Academy. There also will be the art school for children; kids will have a chance to receive musical and choir education. A dance class is being created as well. Nadezhda Tushakova looked at Nikolay Tsiskaridze and said with a smile: "We have been trying to convince the Vaganova Academy's rector to join our project for a long time". Apparently, the newly elected rector was not against this idea: - When I just started working at the Bolshoi, Elena Obraztsova's creative career was in full swing; the brilliant singer always found time to support us, young artists. I am very happy to participate in any project of Obraztsova. I worked together with Elena at the Bolshoi Theatre for 21 years; I also had a good relationship with her husband (the conductor Algis Zhuraitis - editor's note). This is a very important page not only in my creative biography, but also in my life in general. In the evening the gala concert "Elena Obraztsova Presents" took place at the Brullov Hall of the Russian Museum. The concert starred laureates of the Elena Obraztsova Competitions that have been organized in Saint Petersburg for fifteen years. Many stars have been discovered at these competitions; Ildar Abdrazakov, one of the Grand Prix winners, a world famous opera bass and a winner of the Grammy award, was glad to accept the opera diva's offer and to become the artistic director of the Elena Obraztsova Academy of Music in Saint Petersburg. Ildar Abdrazakov, a People's Artist of Russia and the artistic director of the Elena Obraztsova Academy of Music said: - I consider the opening of the Elena V. Obraztsova Academy of Music to be a great event that is significant not only for Russia, but for the whole world, because young singers from many countries will study here. Elena V. Obraztsova likes to say: it is impossible to teach, it is only possible to learn. This is what we are eager to see from the Academy's future students. December, 12 2014 Newsletter

, 7 December, 12 2014 For articles published 10 December 2014 The W all Street journal of fers a podcast interview with Bolshoi Ballet dancer David Hallberg who speaks about the Bolshoi's Nutcracker and other topics. News Press (Germany) publishes an article about a concert in Berlin of the Berliner Philharmoniker with Tugan Sokhiev, Music Director of the Deutsches Symphonie- Orchester Berlin, the Orchestre National du Capitole and Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre and Vadim Gluzman. V aleurs Actuelles (France) reports about the performance of the "Taming of the Shrew" by Jean-Christophe Maillot created for the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet and the upcoming visit of the Bolshoi Ballet to Monaco. The report says "One must admire the courage of Sergei Filin, who continues his innovative momentum after the attack with acid which almost blinded him in 2013. The opera "Rigoletto" by G. Verdi will premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre on December 14th. This is a co-production of the Bolshoi Theatre, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Opéra National du Rhin and Theatre La Monnaie (Belgium). The rehearsals are in full swing! V ideo: .bit.ly/1BAgGCv Robert Carsen and Nina Minasyan during a rehearsal. Photo: Damir Yusupov

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