The final Gala Concert of the third season of the international intercollegiate youth cultural and humanitarian project “Opera & Podium” took place with great success at the Concert Hall of the Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design. The young performers were on stage, and the hall was completely full. Renowned cultural figures from different countries, teachers, opera enthusiasts, and, of course, friends and relatives warmly applauded every scene.
The opening ceremony featured speeches by Alexey Demidov, Rector of the University of Industrial Technologies and Design (PROMTEHDESIGN); Denis Bystrov, Vice-Rector for Academic and Educational Work of the Saint Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory; and Lyubov Egorova, honorary citizen of Saint Petersburg, Hero of Russia, six-time Olympic champion, candidate of pedagogical sciences, and deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg, who read a welcoming letter from the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly, A.N. Belsky.
As in previous seasons, a team of Chinese students—both performers and designers—participated in the project, presenting a stunning staging of the contemporary Chinese opera The Dawns Here Are Quiet by composer Tan Jiangping. Despite the opera being performed in Chinese, the familiar storyline and deeply moving performance allowed the audience to experience the full emotional impact of the narrative, blending tragic events with poignant lyricism and tenderness. The audience’s engagement grew further when it was announced that the composer himself was present in the hall, having traveled to Saint Petersburg specifically for this project.
The season’s results were summed up later that evening by a distinguished expert panel, which included:
- Yulia Strizhak, Director of the F.I. Shalyapin Musical Theater
- Tan Jiangping, composer, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Association of Folk Orchestras, and Head of the Composition Department of the Central Conservatory of China
- Zhang Zehua, Vice President of Hanshi Group Holding and Chairman of the China-Russia Research Association of Experts in Cultural and Artistic Development
- Daniel Brosse, artist, textile painting specialist, founder of the charitable foundation “Rakhi,” and representative of the Lyon Silk House
- Vladimir Vaneev, People’s Artist of Russia, soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre, Head of the Department of Solo Singing at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory
- Irina Dolgova, Chief Artist of the Saint Petersburg State Theater of Musical Comedy
- Irina Safronova, Honored Artist of Russia, Professor at the University of Industrial Technologies and Design
- Tatyana Pavlovskaya, Honored Artist of Russia, soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre
- Avinir Makarov, Vice-Rector for Research and Head of the Department of Intelligent Systems and Information Security at PROMTEHDESIGN
The best production of the season was almost unanimously awarded to the scene from Tan Jiangping’s opera The Dawns Here Are Quiet, directed by Shuai Menyu, a student of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. He also received the laureate award for Best Directing and a prize from Hanshi Group, the long-standing project partner supporting all laureates.
The Special Prize of the Legislative Assembly was awarded to the team that staged a striking scene from War and Peace, directed by Lidiya Ulzutueva, a student of the Conservatory, along with gifts and the opportunity to perform in the Rotunda of the Mariinsky Palace.
In the Best Performer category, two students were recognized this year: Alexey Kutniy (Prince Igor) and Elina Seredina (Tsarevna Sophia in Peter the Great).
All scenes this season were large-scale and required significant effort from the student performers and designers. The technically challenging task of creating multiple transformable stage costumes was successfully accomplished. The Best Costume award went to Kamila Gasanbutaeva and Sofia Emelyanova (PROMTEHDESIGN University) for the costume of the Polovtsian Khan Konchak.
Throughout the performances, multimedia stage designs by students of the Institute of Graphic Design, the Painting and Drawing Department, and the Engineering School of Clothing beautifully complemented each scene. The Best Multimedia Stage Design award was given to Anastasia Griffin and Darya Goryanskaya for their work on the scene from Peter the Great.
The makeup team, composed for the second consecutive year of students from the Engineering School of Clothing, was indispensable in bringing the characters to life. The award for Best Makeup Team went to the group that worked on Prince Igor: Olesya Vyal, Maryana Gadzhieva, Diana de Brain, and Anastasia Menovshchikova.
In addition to diplomas and gifts, laureates received commemorative statuettes designed and crafted by students of the Department of Technology and Artistic Processing of Materials and Jewelry at PROMTEHDESIGN University. This year, students also created commemorative plates and badges featuring the project emblem for mentors and guests.
Special prizes were awarded by:
- The Neva Palette Art Paint Factory, to multimedia designers of The Dawns Here Are Quiet (Anastasia Bogdanova, Arina Vershinina, Anna Dondik, Lada Kilina, Marina Maltseva, Jia Ning Men)
- Irina Dolgova, Chief Artist of the Saint Petersburg State Theater of Musical Comedy, to Egor Perfiliev for his costume design of the Prince Igor scene.
The project expresses its deepest gratitude to Yuri Laptev, People’s Artist of Russia and Artistic Director of the project, and Miras Nurzhanov, Music Director and Conductor, whose extraordinary creative and pedagogical guidance ensured the concert flowed seamlessly.
We congratulate all participants, mentors, and project leaders of “Opera & Podium” on this outstanding success! The combination of inventive directing, exquisite costumes and stage design crafted by students, and the high professional level of performers made this concert a spectacular event. The performers conveyed not only the heroic feats of Russia’s defenders but also the deep emotional experiences of these characters, touching on their personal stories and the finest aspects of human resilience and spirit.