The Tambov Chamber Choir, named after native-Tambov (Russian) composer Sergei Rachmaninov, was founded in 1993 at Derzhavin (Tambov) University by a group of teachers, students, and alumni. The ensemble is under the artistic direction of Professor Vladimir Kozlyakov, with assistance by fellow professors A.Busheva and G.Panasenko. Indeed, the choir may be described as an academic choral society, combining an historic interest in older Russian vocal traditions with the promotion of modern works by Russian and international composers. The choir's repertory embraces works from the Middle Ages to the present, with particular emphasis on music from the Tambov region - not only folk songs, but also 17th c. church chorales, and later works by local composers such as Rachmaninov, Chicherin, and Agapkin.

Another specialty of the choir is the presentation of concerts which combine music with local artworks; in concerts such as "Music in the Mirror of Painting," the choir combines performances by such local composers as Kalinnikov and Taneev with presentations of such Tambov artists as Ryabinsky, Lyapin, and Voronkov. For these and other such events, the choir has often debuted works by local composers.

The Tambov Chamber Choir has won a number of choral competitions, including the International Choir Competition "Singing Russia," the International Festival and Competition of Orthodox Music, "Hajnuwka 97" (Poland), and the Festival of University Choirs of Russia, "Gaudeamus" (Izhevsky, Russia, 2002). In addition, the Tambov Chamber Choir has participated in numerous festivals in Russia and Western Europe. Their concerts have been broadcast frequently on Russian radio, for the program, "Choir Assemblies."

Reviews

"The singing of the [Tambov Chamber] Choir was bewitching, offering space to the imagination, and taking the audience from the real world and its everday problems. The mastery of this ensemble is beyond any doubts."

The New Tambov Gazette

"Including in their concerts works that have never been performed in Tamov, and introducing music lovers to something new, they fulfill both an artistic and a social mission."

The Tambov Life