100 kantele players performed at the Kantele Marathon on April 26, 2019

Submitted by KA3100 on
Elena Magnitskaia and her kantele students

Around 100 kantele players from different parts of the Republic of Karelia took part in the Kantele Marathon on April 26, 2019 in Petrozavodsk. The Marathon was devoted to the 100th anniversary of the birth of famous kantele performer, dancer, vocalist, composer and former Kantele Ensemble director Maksim Gavrilov. The event was arranged by the Karelian National Song and Dance Ensemble Kantele.

There was no age limit or set level of performing skills. Students of Petrozavodsk State Glazunov Conservatoire and students of the Finno-ugric kindergarten, the Kantele Ensemble orchestra and young musicians from Petrozavodsk, Pryazha, Olonets, Sheltozero and Kondopoga performed on the same stage. The Marathon became a place where old friends could meet and exchange their skills and emotions. Around 40 different music pieces for kantele were performed during 3 hours the Marathon lasted. Kantele music was presented with works by classic and contemporary composers, popular melodies from cartoons and movies, dance tunes.   

The Marathon is aimed at sustaining interest in the national symbol that is also the specific objective of the Karelia CBC project “Kantele-GO!” started in January 2019. The “Kantele-GO!” project manager  and  the vice director of the Kantele Ensemble Olga Vlasova presented the project to the Marathon participants. Most of kantele teachers who performed at the Kantele Marathon will become the students of the Kantele Master Course in Kuhmo in June 2019 within the Kantele-GO! project. 

Many thanks to all students and teachers, piano accompanists and listeners for this Kantele Music Fest!