Spring has come with the talents being recognized!

In Astrakhan the first day of spring was marked by a meeting of the artistic clerisy and awarding artists, teachers of artistic educational institutions, library and archive workers. The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Astrakhan Region. Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Astrakhan Region Inessa Gorina congratulated those gathered. She noted the achievements of the region in the sphere of culture and art, and emphasized the demand for new creative projects, theatrical premieres, and services among Astrakhan residents; she also pointed out to the fact that over one hundred and twenty thousand people had visited the festive events in the Astrakhan Kremlin over the previous winter.

The representatives of the Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theater received three prestigious awards. The Artistic Director of the theater, Chief Conductor of the symphonic orchestra Valery Voronin, was awarded the Lina Samborskaya prize in the field of theatrical art. The award was established fifteen years ago at the suggestion of the regional branch of the Union of Theater Workers of the Russian Federation in order to develop theatrical art, stimulate the artistic potential of theater managers and to reward for great skills, creative contribution and achievements in theatrical art.

This award is the recognition of the maestro’s multifaceted work in creating bright images, staging new performances in the best traditions of Russian repertory theater, and implementing innovative theatrical projects. One of such projects is “Russian Operas in the Astrakhan Kremlin”. Since 2012, the main architectural ensemble of the Caspian capital has been used as a large stage venue to host theatrical premieres such as “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “Prince Igor”, “Khovanshchina”, “Ivan Susanin” and others.

Two Maria Maksakova awards in the field of vocal art were received by the leading soloists of the theater Alexey Mikutel and Anna Kadenkova. Alexey was awarded this prize in the category “For Outstanding Contribution,” and Anna became the laureate in the nomination “For Successful Debut.” Thus her work in the role of Antonida in the opera Ivan Susanin was noted. Sharing her impressions after the award, A. Kadenkova noted: “Indeed, this role required big preparatory work and dedication. I felt also very responsible to perform on one stage with the leading soloists of the Mariinsky Theater. It’s very pleasant that my work and the overall contribution to the large-scale work of the entire creative team of our theater in this serious historical production has been so highly appreciated.”

Anna Kadenkova comes from Astrakhan; she graduated from the Saratov State Conservatory, and worked at the Saratov Regional Operetta Theater. She gladly accepted the invitation to join the Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theater. The stage images that she created are noted and loved by the audience: Martha in The Tsar's Bride, Mimi in the opera La Bohème, Marya Antonovna in The Government Inspector, Michaela in Carmen and Suzanne in The Marriage of Figaro.