The Russian Folk Instruments Orchestra Onego was founded in 1974. Since that time the Orchestra is led by the artistic director and chief conductor - Honored Artist of Russia, Honored Culture Worker of the Republic of Karelia Gennadii Mironov. Since 2011 the second conductor of the orchestra has been Mikhail Totskii.
The repertoire of the orchestra includes original compositions by contemporary composers, symphonic music classics in processing for the orchestra of Russian folk instruments, arias, romances of Russian and foreign composers, urban romances, Russian folk songs and dances. A significant place in the repertoire is occupied by the works by Karelian composers, among whom are compositions specially created for this group.
The programmes for the whole family, children's concerts, literary and musical compositions, authored by the second conductor and arranger of the orchestra, Mikhail Totskii, are of a great interest.
The orchestra pays special attention to the preparation of programmes related to the dates of the Russian history. The collective regularly tours in Karelia with programmes dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The Onego orchestra tour map includes cities and towns of Karelia, cities of Russia such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda, Cherepovets, Kirov and Perm. Residents of the cities of Belarus, Finland, Sweden and Germany has also warmly welcomed the performances of the orchestra.
Onego orchestra conducts a great educational work, performs with concerts for schoolchildren and students. Gennadii Mironov supports young talents, including performances by novice musicians in orchestra programmes.
Mikhail Totskii is a soloist of the Karelian Philharmonic, conductor of the The Russian Folk Instruments Orchestra Onego, founder and inspirer of the Companeros tango-ensemble and the active participant in the A-Jazz ensemble.
Honored Artist of the Republic of Karelia, the winner of the International Competition "Cup of the North". He was awarded the honorary title Laureate of the Republic of Karelia in 2011 for the creation of original programmes, new arrangements of musical works for the Onego orchestra and the Companeros ensemble.
He graduated from the Petrozavodsk branch of the Rimsky-Korsakov Leningrad State Conservatoire (bayan class, folk orchestra conducting class).
Among the regular stage partners are well-known Russian and foreign musicians, for example Vitalii Kis (guitar), Mikhail Dziudze (balalaika-double bass), Vladislav Kosarev (baritone), Evelina Sashenko (pop vocal, Lithuania) and Martin Alvarado (tenor, Argentina).
He actively tours in the cities of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Ivanovo, Cheliabinsk, Kostroma and etc.) as a soloist-accordionist.
Sergei Garmash - People's artist of Russia, actor of the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre and Russian film actor.
Within the Moscow Philharmonic framework of the project "Tales with an Orchestra" Sergei Garmash reads the fairytale by Boris Shergin “The Magic Ring.”