Philharmonic Orchestra, Aleksei Niaga, Sergei Korovin, Roman Driablov, Saule Iskakova, Maria Mukupa & Ilze Liepa

Karelian Philharmonic Orchestra is a cultural heritage of the Republic of Karelia and is the largest orchestra in the Russian North-west. This year the Orchestra celebrates its 90-th anniversary.

In the past the orchestra was conducted by Leopold Teplitsky, Konstantin Semenov, Karl Eliasberg, Iurii Aranovich, Vitalii Kataev, Aleksandr Dmitriev, Fedor Glushenko, Edvard Chizhvel Oleg Soldatov, Marius Stravinsky. Orchestra played with such eminent musicians as Sviatoslav Rikhter, Emil Gilels, Nikolai Petrov, Naum Shtarkman, Vladimir Krainev, Mstislav Rostropovich, Igor Oistrakh, Dmitrii Bashkirov, Mikhail Pletnev, Alexei Liubimov, Denis Matsuev, Nikolai Luganskii, Vadim Kholodenko, Vladimir Spivakov, Sergei Stadler, Tatiana Grindenko, Dora Shvartsberg, Aleksandr Rudin, Natalia Shakhovskaia, Iurii Bashmet, Boris Andrianov, Arkadii Shilkloper, Ilia Gringolts and many others.

The orchestra repertoire includes plays that belong to different world music styles and genres. Along with the well-known symphony masterpieces the orchestra often performs the music of the 20th-21st centuries. Not once the orchestra was trusted to play the Russian and world premieres of the contemporary compositions.

Annual season tickets and festivals show the active artistic life of the orchestra, the breadth and diversity of its interests. Symphonic concerts are attended by listeners of all ages. Great attention is paid to working with child audience. In order to attract a new audience Orchestra performs pop and rock music, popular classics, is involved in educational projects.

The orchestra performs in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, in the Republic of Karelia and other Russian regions. The touring map includes Germany, Poland, France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. The orchestra has good relations with partners from Finland and other Scandinavian countries.


Aleksei Niaga (conductor) — laureate of international competitions. He works as a conductor of the Karelia Philharmonic Orchestra (since 2014) and as a conductor of the Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (since 2017).

Aleksei graduated from the St.Petersburg State Conservatory as a choral conductor and opera and symphonic conductor (Kudriavtseva and Titov classes).

He cooperates with St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg State Capella Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. Also, he works with the Musical Theatre of the Republic of Karelia. His repertoire includes not only classical music but also the music by contemporary authors and the music from movies.


Sergei Korovin (lyric baritone) is an actor at the St Petersburg Chaliapin State Musical Theatre and the St Petersburg Children's Musical Theatre Karambol.


Roman Driablov (tenor) is a film and theatre actor. Soloist of the St Petersburg State Theatre of Musical Comedy. Winner of St Petersburg's highest theatrical award Golden Soffit in the category Best Actor's Ensemble.


Saule Iskakova (soprano) is an Honoured Artist of Russia and lead soloist of the Zazerkalye Children's Music Theatre in St Petersburg. She is known as a singer of rare universal talent. Her repertoire includes opera classics and musicals, tango and chamber music. She makes the most of her abundant opportunities by participating in numerous music and theatre festivals. Saule's voice is held in high esteem by the film company Neva, where she regularly appears as lead characters in Walt Disney's animated films as a voice artist.


Maria Mukupa (mezzo-soprano) is a soloist of the Zazerkalye St Petersburg Children's Musical Theatre. She is a nominee of the Russian National Theatre Award Golden Mask.


Ilze Liepa (special guest and presenter) — People's Artist of Russia, is a representative of a famous ballet dynasty. After graduating from the Moscow School of Choreography, she tied her life to the Bolshoi Theatre for many years. In the 1990's Ilze Liepa established her own company, The Golden Age, and has performed ballet gala concerts in the world's best venues. Her work as a ballerina and as a dramatic actress has been recognised with numerous honours: Laureate of the State Prize of Russia, winner of the "Golden Mask" National Theatre Prize, "Soul of Dance", "Crystal Turandot" and "Seagull" awards, and the Moscow Government Prize in Literature and Art. Liepa graduated from the pedagogical department of the GITIS in 1991. Since her youth she has acted in cinemas and dramas. Ilze Liepa is a successful writer and TV presenter. She has hosted the show "Bolero" together with Vladimir Pozner on Channel One and the programme "Bolshoi Ballet" with Andrei Zhagars on the Rossiya-Kultura Channel.