“Russian Seasons” returns to Thailand in June with programme “From Russia with Love”

Soloists of the State Academic Folk Ensemble “Russia” named after L.G. Zykina will perform in Bangkok on 12 June. The concert “From Russia with Love” will become part of the programme of the international project “Russian Seasons”, which will be presented in Thailand from 11 to 13 June.

The programme of the “From Russia with Love” concert will include musical compositions from the ensemble’s golden repertoire. Alongside the ensemble, Honoured Artist of Ingushetia Anna Sidnina and Honoured Artist of Khakassia Boris Dyakov will take the stage. A performance is also expected by People’s Artist of Bashkortostan and Honoured Artist of Russia Ramil Gayzullin, who plays the Bashkir kurai (an open longitudinal flute). The audience will be presented with his original compositions created especially for this national musical instrument.

Lovers of folk music can look forward to a performance by multi-instrumentalist Aleksander Uskov. Within a single musical composition, several Russian accordions will be featured – Cherepovets, Livenskaya, Talyanka, Saratov and Khromka – from different regions of Russia.

As part of the traditional reception at the Russian Embassy in Thailand on 11 June, soloists of the “Russia” ensemble will perform the programme “From Russia with Love” together with students of the Russian Dance Academy “Katyusha”.

Artistic director of the “Russia” ensemble, Honoured Artist of Russia Dmitry Dmitrienko, will hold masterclasses on 11 and 13 June on the topic “Russian folk instruments – a unique phenomenon of world musical culture”. The audience will hear about the origins and development of the art of playing Russian folk instruments: the domra, balalaika, bayan and their varieties. Soloists of the “Russia” ensemble will perform masterpieces of national art, including works by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, V. V. Andreev, A. V. Arkhipovsky, V. F. Gridin, A. A. Tsygankov and V. N. Gorodovskaya. In addition, participants of the masterclass will have the opportunity to receive lessons in playing the domra, balalaika and bayan.

The performances by the artists in Thailand from 11 to 13 June are dedicated to Russia Day, celebrated on 12 June. In 2026, the “Russian Seasons” events in Thailand will run from February to November. The first block of the programme was successfully held in Bangkok and Phuket in late February–early March. The TV BRICS International Media Network acts as the international information partner of the project.

“Russian Seasons” is a flagship international project of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Events are held in one or several foreign countries over the course of a calendar year and introduce audiences to Russian culture. In 2025, “Russian Seasons” was presented in Bahrain and Oman. The events of “Russian Seasons” have already been attended by more than 13 million spectators.