Sydney Balalaika Orchestra chooses Canterbury

Russian Cultural Centre Trust
Centre of Slavonic Culture & Education

For immediate release

Sydney Balalaika Orchestra chooses Canterbury for inaugural New Zealand performances, 1 and 2 June

They’ve performed in the Sydney Opera House and throughout New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. They’ve also toured China and Russia at the invitation of the Chinese and Russian governments.

Now, for the first time, this celebrated orchestra of dedicated musicians will perform in New Zealand, conducting a support concert in Christchurch on 1 June and in Ashburton the following evening.

Friday 1 June 7pm – Middleton Grange Performing Arts Centre, 27 Arthur St, Christchurch
Ticket sales www.dashtickets.co.nz or at I-Site Visitor Centre (next to Canterbury Museum) or door sales

Saturday 2 June 7pm – Ashburton Trust Event Centre, 211A Wills St, Ashburton
Ticket sales Event Centre, 03 307 2010 www.ticketdirect.co.nz or door sales

Sydney Balalaika Orchestra www.balalaika.com.au
Founded over 30 years ago by Volodya Savistsky and led today by musical director, Victor Serghie, the orchestra is dedicated to the folk music of Russia played on authentic folk instruments. Its large repertoire of light classical and traditional music is played by musicians representing a microcosm of Australia’s multicultural society - including Armenian, Serbian, Croatian, Dutch, Scottish and Malaysian as well as Russian and Australian players. All are united in their love of Russian music with its mellow melancholic themes juxtaposed with lively, energetic melodies. Besides the Balalaika, other instruments played by members of the orchestra include the Domra, the Bayan and the Cimbalom.

Benefit concert
Learning of the effects of Christchurch’s earthquakes on the migrant population of Christchurch, including the loss of valuable resources belonging to the Russian Cultural Centre Trust of Christchurch in Christchurch Community House, members of the orchestra wanted to help. All have paid their own airfares to bring two concerts to Canterbury, with proceeds going to the Russian Cultural Centre Trust.
“We are excited and touched by this gesture,” Anna Filippochkina, Coordinator of the Russian Cultural Centre Trust says.

“The Sydney Balalaika Orchestra has built up an excellent reputation in Australia and beyond. We are looking forward to people here enjoying the vitality and enthusiasm of their music making. These concerts will bring smiles to the faces of people in Canterbury.”

Russian Cultural Centre Trust
Established as a Charitable Trust in 2000, the early focus of the Centre was to provide much needed support to the Russian speaking people of Christchurch. A major focus of the Trust since then has been to provide Russian language classes for the children of immigrants and to provide other resources for the retention and support of Russian language and culture. Besides the language school, programmes organised by the Trust include a Russian youth theatre, English classes for adult learners, health and ageing programmes for older migrants, and art, musical and other cultural events for the wider public.

In 2009 the Trust’s coordinator, Mrs Anna Filippochkina, received a Christchurch City Council Civic Award for outstanding service to the migrant community.

In November 2011, she travelled to Russia to receive the prestigious Pushkin Medal from the President of Russia for her contribution to the preservation of the Russian language and culture in New Zealand.

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