“Cup of the North” Contest 2023

The 21st Repnikov International Folk Instruments Performers Contest “Cup of the North” was held in Petrozavodsk from 10 to 15 April 2023. More than 300 musicians from Russia, Belarus and China took part in the competition. The participants of the Senior Age Group performed their program with the Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments (Maestro Igor Garyushin) and the Symphony Orchestra of the Petrozavodsk State Glazunov Conservatoire (Maestro Aleksei Kubyshkin).

Grand Prix of the “Cup of the North” Contest in the Bayan & Accordion nomination is awarded to Nikolai Starchikov (Accordion / Junior Age Group), the student of Julia Levochkina at the Children Music School “Podlipki” (Korolev town, Moskovskaya oblast).
Grand Prix of the “Cup of the North” Contest in the String Plugged Instruments nomination is awarded to Ivan Popov (Balalaika / Senior Age Group), the student of Andrey Gorbachev at the Moscow Skryabin College of Music.

The following students of the Petrozavodsk State Glazunov Conservatoire became prize winners of the “Cup of the North” Contest:
Sergei Antonov (balalaika), 1st Prize Winner
Nikolai Potapov (balalaika), 1st Prize Winner
Arseny Sinyushkin (bayan), 1st Prize Winner
Bashkhanym Suleimanova (domra), 2nd Prize Winner
Maksim Bashkoviсh (accordion), 2nd Prize Winner
Maria Vykhodseva (domra), 2nd Prize Winner
Arseny Matov (bayan), 3rd Prize Winner

The Jury of the “Cup of the North” Contest is comprised of the professors of the Petrozavodsk State Glazunov Conservatoire as well as prominent professors from the other conservatories in Russia:
Prof. Friedrich Lips (bayan), People's Artist of Russia, Head of Bayan and Accordion Department at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Honorary Professor at the London Academy of Music (UK, 2010) and the member of the "Accordion World Hall of Fame" (New-York, 2019)
Prof. Alexander Tsygankov (domra), People's Artist of Russia, Professor at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music
Prof. Oleg Sharov (bayan), Honored Artist of Russia, Head of Bayan and Accordion Department at the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory
Prof. Natalia Shkrebko (domra), Honored Artist of Russia, Head of Stringed Folk Instruments Department at the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory
Prof. Alexander Mostykanov (balalaika), Honored Artist of Russia, rector of Astrakhan State Conservatory
Prof. Yuri Gurevich (bayan), Honored Arts Worker of Russia, rector of the Glinka Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatoire
Prof. Andrey Gorbachev (balalaika), Head of Stringed Folk Instruments Department at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music
Prof. Maria Vlasova (accordion), Professor at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music

The Artistic Director of the “Cup of the North” Contest is Prof. Vladimir Solovyev (bayan), Honored Artist of Russia, Head of the Folk Instruments Department at the Petrozavodsk State Glazunov Conservatoire. The competition for folk instrument performers named after Albin Repnikov continues the tradition of the famous competition “Cup of the North” Contest held in the city of Cherepovets from 1990 to 2006. Albin Repnikov (1932—2007), Honored Arts Worker of Russia, a composer, performer and teacher, was one of the founders of the “Cup of the North” Contest and the professor of the Petrozavodsk Conservatoire from 1974 to 2007.

Maksim Bashkovich (accordion), 2nd Prize Winner

Dmitry Melentiev (accordion), 1st Prize Winner and the Petrozavodsk Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Aleksei Kubyshkin

Stepan Filippov (balalaika), 2nd Prize Winner and the Petrozavodsk Conservatoire Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments. Maestro Igor Garyushin

Jury of the Contest in the 'Bayan & Accordion' nomination