Hvorostovsky Art Festival has officially kicked off in Krasnoyarsk. On the first day, Italian baritone Ambrogio Maestri, Helikon-Opera theatre soloist Ivan Gyngazov, and the Krasnoyarsk Academic Symphony Orchestra took the stage. Maestro Alexander Sladkovsky conducted the performances.

​Cr.: Alexandr Paniotov

The regional Minister of Culture, Arkady Zinov, delivered a welcoming speech at the opening ceremony:

— The Festival's core mission is to, like Dmitri Hvorostovsky did during his lifetime, introduce residents and visitors to our region to the best world opera has to offer. I'm delighted that, despite all the challenges, we've managed to maintain the Festival's international status for many years running. This year, we have a solid regional programme as well. We've strengthened our educational programme—it's crucial for us that the festival leaves not only a positive impression on those who attended, but also an improvement on the professional level for those who will become the future of Krasnoyarsk opera.

Alexander Sladkovsky worked with Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who called him one of the best conductors in the country.

The programme of this year's Hvorostovsky Art Festival includes more than 30 events. Krasnoyarsk will host 12 gala concerts and performances featuring stars of the Russian and international opera scene. Artists from Russia, Italy, Uzbekistan, France, the Netherlands, Mongolia, China, and Austria will perform on the stage.

For the first time as part of the Festival, the Alisher Navoi State Academic Grand Theatre will perform the operas "Kumush" and "Carmen" on the stage of the D.A. Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. The tour is part of the All-Russian Touring and Concert Plan of the Russian Ministry of Culture.

The regional programme will take place in six cities across the region: Uzhur, Sharypovo, Minusinsk, Zelenogorsk, Sosnovoborsk, and Zheleznogorsk. As per tradition, the festival will also feature an intensive educational course for amateur singers, held at the Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Institute of Arts.

The Festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Krasnoyarsk Region.