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The opening ceremony was preceded by a press conference featuring His Excellency Sheikh Jamal Al-Musawi, Secretary General of the National Museum of Oman, and Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.
A young and popular chamber ensemble, the Valentin Berlinsky Quartet, performed at the ceremony. The ensemble masterfully blends the traditions of Russian performing arts with contemporary musical trends.
Olga Lyubimova and His Excellency Sheikh Jamal Al-Musawi addressed the audience with welcoming remarks. The Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation ceremoniously handed over the project’s symbol, the Firebird, to Her Highness Dr. Sayyida Mona bint Fahad bin Mahmoud Al Said, Assistant Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Sultan Qaboos University. Together, they cut the red ribbon, symbolizing the opening of the exhibition and the launch of the “Russian Seasons” cultural events in the Sultanate of Oman.
The State Hermitage Museum’s unique exhibition, “Gifts from Khiva and Bukhara to the Russian Imperial House,” was dedicated to Russia’s long-standing ties with the peoples of the East. Following the exhibition’s opening, visitors to the National Museum of Oman had the opportunity to watch the Russia Today documentary “Dagger” in Russian and English with Arabic subtitles.
21, 22 February
“THE WORLD THROUGH DANCE”
Muscat
Marsa Plaza
Concert by the State Academic Honored Dance Ensemble of Dagestan “Lezginka”
within the framework of the Spring Festival in Muscat
Artistic Director
Dzhambulat Magomedov
Master of ceremonies
Alexander Khananin
Guests of the Spring Festival enthusiastically welcomed the Dagestani dancers, who demonstrated their virtuoso skills and literally captivated the audience with the powerful energy of Caucasian dance.
During the official part of the event, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Andrey Malyshev delivered a welcoming speech.
SERIES OF MASTER CLASSES
within the framework of the Spring Festival in Muscat
with the support of the Russian House in the Sultanate of Oman
Master classes in the spirit of a Russian fair, part of the International Project “Russian Seasons,” offered residents and visitors to the capital of Oman a unique opportunity to learn about Russian folk traditions and crafts, attracting a record number of spectators.
The Tula Region State Cultural Institution “Association of Cultural Development Centers” organized master classes on the basics of the unique painting technique of Filimonovo toys and Tula gingerbread, led by masters Elena Aksenova and Gulistan Chukseeva.
“Soyuzmultfilm” Studio employees—animator Marina Gorskaya and Project Manager Anna Trembak—held master classes for children and adults on making souvenirs — pins, keychains, and T-shirts featuring iconic Russian cartoon characters.
The dates of the Spring Festival in Muscat coincided with the Orthodox Maslenitsa festival, so the pancake-making master classes were particularly popular among the Omani public.
The event’s guests of honor included Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Andrei Malyshev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Sultanate of Oman Oleg Levin, and Minister of Culture of the Tula Region Tatyana Rybkina, Chairman of the Russian-speaking community in Oman Igor Egorov, General Director and Artistic Director of the Lezginka ensemble Dzhambulat Magomedov, as well as Chairman of the Omani-Russian Business Council Hamed Hashim Al-Dahab and General Director of Al-Muj Muscat Nasser Al Sheibani.
23, 24 February
Muscat
Oman National Museum
“SOYUZMULTFILM – LET’S DO IT TOGETHER!”
Program of educational events by Soyuzmultfilm Film Studio
“ANIMATION TECHNIQUES – Stop Motion, 2D, 3D, and More”
LECTURE for the professional community of animators
Lecturer: Head of the Digital Promotion and Advertising Department, “Soyuzmultfilm” Film Studio
Prokopy Ulyashov
MASTER CLASSES AND SCREENINGS OF ANIMATED FILMS for children
As part of the “Russian Seasons” project in the Sultanate of Oman, the Soyuzmultfilm studio held a series of educational events aimed at establishing creative connections with the professional animation community in Oman and promoting Russian animation, which deservedly holds a leading position in the world.
Prokopiy Ulyashov’s lecture on modern animation techniques revealed many new aspects of cartoon production technology to Omani animators and outlined areas for possible future collaboration.
Master classes with Russian animators, where children created their first original cartoon, sparked great interest among young Omani audiences. Each participant received a Super Animator certificate, and together with animators they watched Russian cartoons.
On 23 February 2025, His Excellency Jamal Al-Musawi, Secretary General of the National Museum of Oman, and Salim bin Mohammed Al-Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism of Oman, attended the Soyuzmultfilm event.
16 November
Muscat
Royal Opera House Muscat
LECTURE by Mikhail Bryzgalov, Director General of the Russian National Museum of Music, Honored Worker in the Arts of the Russian Federation and a master class by musicians of the Ossipov National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia for professional musicians and students
The master class featured soloists of the Ossipov National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia:
Alena Tropoleva (domra)
Victoria Yakusheva (domra)
Lyubov Muravyova (ringing gusli, keyboard gusli)
Igor Senin (balalaika)
Daniil Stadnyuk (accordion)
Guest soloist
Arslan Umurzakov (kuray)
In the lecture hall of the Royal Opera House Muscat, Mikhail Bryzgalov, Director General of the Russian National Museum of Music, known for his contribution to the preservation and promotion of Russian musical heritage, spoke to Omani musicians about Russian folk instruments and the musical instruments of other nations that are in the museum’s collection.
The musicians from the Ossipov National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia spoke to their Omani colleagues about folk instruments, the specifics of working with them, and introduced them to their sound. Following the masterclass, the Russian and Omani musicians performed an impromptu joint composition.
17 November
Muscat
Royal Opera House Muscat Library
PUBLIC TALK before the closing of the international project “Russian Seasons” in the Sultanate of Oman
Participants:
General Director and Artistic Director of the Royal Opera House Muscat
Umberto Fanni
Artistic Director of the Ossipov National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia
Vladimir Andropov
General Director of the Russian National Museum of Music
Mikhail Bryzgalov
General Director of the ANO “Russian Seasons”
Svetlana Kondratieva
Before the concert of the Ossipov National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia, which concludes the “Russian Seasons” events in the Sultanate of Oman, a creative meeting and discussion was held with the organizers and participants of the project. The meeting was moderated by Umberto Fanni, General Director and Artistic Director of the Royal Opera House Muscat.
During the discussion, the participants introduced the audience to the International “Russian Seasons” project, its historical mission, established by the great Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev, and the continuation and development of this tradition in our time.
Muscat
Royal Opera House Muscat
Closing of the International Project “Russian Seasons” in the Sultanate of Oman
CONCERT Ossipov National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia
Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the orchestra
People’s Artist of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Andropov
Guest soloists:
Sofia Onopchenko (vocals)
Honored Artist of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Albina Degtyareva (jaw harp)
Laureate of All-Russian and International Competitions
Arslan Umurzakov (kuray)
The concert marked the finale of the “Russian Seasons” program in the Sultanate of Oman. The orchestra performed in Oman for the first time, stunning the audience with the quality of its performance and the uniqueness of its instruments.
In the second part, Russian and Omani musicians performed two national compositions together: “Beautiful Oman” and “The Moon Shines.”
The audience received a special gift: a case with postcards depicting Russian national musical instruments with descriptions of each. The case was prepared in collaboration with the Russian National Museum of Music specifically for the Ossipov Orchestra’s performance at the closing of the “Russian Seasons” International Project in the Sultanate of Oman.
