About Art Union “Maestro”

Art Union “Maestro” brings together composers, vocal performers, musicians, poets, artists and other creative professionals. The purpose of the organization – assistance to its members in the creative development and implementation of authors cultural projects, the promotion of classical music, organizing live performances, and promotion of advanced musical-acoustic health-improving techniques.
Art Union “Maestro” is the winner of the presidential contest of social projects in the fields of education, culture, art and public diplomacy in 2008. At the IX International Festival and Competition of Music and Artistic Creation “Petersburg Spring” (2010) the Art Union “Maestro” is awarded to the winners of the first degree diplomas in four categories: best composer, best duet, best band, best conductor.
Concert programs of “Maestro” with the same success heard in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, China, and India. Enthusiastic response to the interventions of “Maestro” from a variety of people, regardless of nationality, age and social status, as well as the excellent reviews of the Russian and European press confirm: composing and performing arts of Art Union “Maestro” promote a positive image of Russia, the glorification of the national culture and art.

Art Union “Maestro” was founded in the late 1990s by composers Leonid Levashkevich, Vladimir Gaponov and poet Dmitry Kirshin. Circle of listeners “Maestro” has expanded rapidly thanks to the collaboration with the “Russian Radio”, “Radio Petersburg” channels “RTR – Saint Petersburg”, “Culture”, “Petersburg – Channel 5”. The reasons for the demand for music of “Maestro”: melody, high harmony, creative, life-affirming fundamentals.
An impressive variety of genres of music of “Maestro”: orchestral miniatures philosophical nature, waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, minuets, tangos, marches, ragtimes, works for vocals, music for children – more than 150 works, combined into 19 audio albums. With D. Kirshin written and ready for the musical stage production of “A Christmas Tale” and a program of vocal and symphonic works.
Together with the publishers “Union of Artists” group released 10 music collections: “Romantic piano pieces in 4 hands. Book number 2” (2011), “Romantic piano pieces in 4 hands. Book number 1”, “Gypsy Rhapsody: For Violin and Piano”, “The Road of Love: a triptych for orchestra (full score)”, “Dance Suite for orchestra (score)”, “Long Live, Saint Petersburg!: Overtures and Waltzes for orchestra (full score)” (2010), piano miniatures “Romantic Music” (2002), piano pieces “7 Dances” and a concert suite for piano in 4 hands “Dances”. The year 2007 also published a collection of “Dances”: arranged for accordion.
The successful implementation of creative projects of “Maestro” was made possible thanks to the collaboration with the team leading Petersburg musicians – multiple winners of the international competitions, able to convey all the nuances of bright music, excite and delight listeners impeccable technique of implementation. Concert programs of “Maestro” collect notices in the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic named after D.D. Shostakovich, the Big Concert Hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Society, the Concert Hall of the Kharkov Regional Philharmonic, in the White Hall of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University and other prestigious venues in Russia and abroad.
Repertoire Symphony Orchestra “Maestro” (artistic director and chief conductor – Alexander Chernobaev) are programs by Leonid Levashkevich: “The Road of Love”, “Tango, Waltz, Ragtime”, “The Seasons” and others. Aesthetics academic symphonic found successful embodiment not only in traditional waltzes and pieces for piano and orchestra, but in the ragtimes and charlestones, the performance of which can be named the unique feature of the orchestra “Maestro”. Available forms concert miniatures, while preserving the advantages of symphonic presentation allows to expand the palette of the music genre, met an enthusiastic reception of the public. Use of unusual for a symphony orchestra solo musical instruments such as saxophone, bring to the academic rigor of the elements of improvisation, intonation novelty.
Virtuoso Ensemble “Maestro” is widely known abroad for his execution of a collection of concert masterpieces. Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Bizet, Brahms, Monti, Piazzolla combined with compositions written by L. Levashkevich, arranged by V. Gaponov, A. Satsenko, A. Baranenko – in continuation of the romantic tradition of the XIX and XX centuries. By participating in the celebration of the Year of Russia in China, in October 2006, “Maestro” was made the only musical group, officially representing the North-West region of Russia. Good tradition of the live performances of “Maestro” in Russian diplomatic establishments abroad (Russian Embassy in Stockholm, Oslo, New Delhi, Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Gothenburg, Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Helsinki and Copenhagen) at the celebration of Orthodox Christmas and the Day of Russia in 2007–2011 years.
Here is a typical review of the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the participation of “Maestro” in the public reception in Stockholm dedicated to the Day of Russia (June 2007): “The main “highlight” of the informal part of the state began to receive a great concert of professional creative team of “Maestro” specially arrived the Embassy of St. Petersburg. Nearly a thousand people – ministers, heads of large industrial corporations, public representatives, diplomats, intellectuals and the Russian diaspora – have expressed admiration for the rich repertoire of “Maestro” from a virtuoso performance of classical works to jazz and folk songs”. Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Sweden A.M. Kadakin in a letter of thanks sent to the address of the head of the Art Union “Maestro” L.V. Levashkevich writes: “There is no doubt – successfully completed a concert promoted a positive image of our country, spiritual rapprochement between Russia and Sweden, and the exaltation of Russian culture and Russian art. High professionalism of Petersburg musicians, their warmth and cheerfulness will live in the memory of the embassy staff who received the incomparable pleasure of communicating with you and the members of the team headed by you”.
Art Union “Maestro” is developing contacts with other art forms and even with scientific organizations. In particular, the result of a collaboration with the “Russian Sound” Laboratory was the author's unique musical-acoustic health-improving program “Harmony”.