Moscow Jazz Festival holds special event for Russia EXPO

Several participants of the Moscow Jazz Festival, the largest event of its kind in Russia and one of the largest jazz festivals in the world, performed in the capital on Wednesday as part of a special concert for the ongoing Russia EXPO.  

Three jazz trios performed on the main stage of Moscow’s All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNKh): the Phonograph-Jazz trio, the ILUGDIN TRIO, which combines jazz with classical music, and a trio led by Maria Aksyonova, the winner of the All-Russian youth jazz competition. 

Wednesday’s performance was the latest organized by the Moscow Jazz Festival in conjunction with the Russia EXPO this year. The forum was officially launched in 2023 following a decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the organization of an international exhibition-forum to demonstrate Russia’s achievements in various areas such as the economy, energy, agriculture, transportation, science, and culture. 

The Moscow Jazz Festival will be held for the third time this summer. It was first held in 2022 and has since featured over 2,000 artists and drawn over half a million spectators. This year, the festival will be held over June 10-16, and is expected to feature over 1,000 artists from Russia and other countries. 

Among the headliners of this year’s festival are some of the biggest names in jazz, such as Russia’s Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, Richard Bona from the US, Avishai Cohen from Israel, Roberto Fonseca from Cuba, and many others. 

The concerts will be held at different venues throughout the Russian capital, such as the Hermitage garden, the Muzeon and Sokolniki parks, on the square in front of the Central Department store, and elsewhere.