6 Contemporary Russian Choirs

1. CAGMO Choir

Imagine: A large hall, hundreds of candles and, accompanied by a string orchestra, the melody of ‘Bud kak doma, putnik, ya ni v chem ne otkazhu’ (‘Make yourself at home, traveler, I won't deny you anything’) – one of the timeless hits by punk band ‘Korol i Shut’ (‘The King and the Jester’). Since 2024, more than 500,000 people across the country have heard their songs performed by the CAGMO symphony orchestra choir (the name stands for ‘Cinema Anime Game Music Orchestra’).

The orchestra was formed in 2017 for a joint project with composer Paul Romero, the author of the ‘Heroes of Might and Magic’ soundtrack. Its repertoire includes symphonies – music from movies, anime, games and symphonic interpretations of hits.

The CAGMO choir also has a separate program featuring Russian rock hits, performing songs by the most famous artists, including ‘Nautilus Pompilius’, ‘Splin’, ‘Valery Kipelov’, ‘Chizh i Сo’, ‘Alisa’ and others.

2. The Turetsky Choir

Initially, Gnessin Academy graduate Mikhail Turetsky recruited male vocalists for the Moscow Choral Synagogue.

The repertoire consisted primarily of spiritual chants, but, over time, Jewish songs, opera arias, rock and pop music, jazz, as well as folk compositions began to be performed.

Over the past 35 years, the choir has transformed from a traditional singing group into an art group performing at major venues.

3. ‘Khor na ves dvor’ (‘Choir for the Whole Yard’)

This isn't your typical choir in the traditional sense: anyone who wants to sing can join it for a while. Anyone who remembers their childhood, when entire neighborhoods were friendships and this space felt like the entire universe. The choir's artistic director is actress Sofia Andreeva, winner of the prestigious ‘Golden Mask’ theater award. She conducts it so captivatingly that the audience not only cheers, but also dances along.

The choir performs a wide variety of songs: from songs from cartoons and films to Soviet and contemporary hits.

They’re performed by professional singers and the audience joins in, singing along with the entire courtyard. Or the street. For example, on the night of December 31 to January 1, the ‘Choir for the Whole Yard’ performed New Year's Eve songs on Gorky Park’s main stage in Moscow. The cold didn't stop them: ‘Muzyka nas svyazala’ (‘Music bound us’), ‘Na zare’ (‘At dawn’), ‘Alexandra’, and other songs echoed over Pushkinskaya Embankment to the live music.

4. ‘Horosapiens’

This name represents a whole host of choral groups in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Some are classical, with an academic repertoire, while others offer a very broad range of performances, including rock hits and football anthems.

‘Horosapiens’ is led by conductor Nikolai Makarov: He founded several choral groups and also conceived the ‘Battle of the Choirs!’ project for the Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg, which features various singing groups.

5. Khor Duratskogo (The Fool's Choir)

A street choir from St. Petersburg that sings everywhere and in any situation – in parks, in parking lots, in libraries, etc.

Its creator is composer and accompanist Zhenya Klekotneva: In 2008, she decided to create a group that wouldn't just sing, but do everything you wouldn't expect from a choir.

Thus, it emerged as one of the projects of the ‘Theater Whose Name Must Not Be Named’: Its members fool actively around and aren't afraid to be funny, performing both well-known songs in their own arrangements, as well as original ones and also performing their own opera about Galina the Hen and Victor the Pigeon!

6. Neskuchny khor (The not-boring choir)

Natalia Kapiturova and Tatyana Larina conceived the project in 2017. They wanted to create a choir that required no formal education, just a love of singing and music. All you need to do is attend one of the open rehearsals, which are held once or twice a month in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The choir's founders describe it as a cross between cultural karaoke and campfire singing. It's never boring. The choir's repertoire is extensive, ranging from Russian pop and rock to the latest hits.