CHAPEL TAURIAN

Capella Taurida is a group of highly talented musicians, consisted of the International Youth Symphony Orchestra and Youth Chamber Choir "St. Petersburg Voices», the Russian Horn Band, Ensemble of old baroque music "Soloists of Catherine the Great", has been founded in the image and likeness of the choir, that formerly served His Serene Highness  Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin. 

 In the Taurida Palace, besides a dramatic troupe, Prince G.A. Potemkin had 200 musicians who made up the largest private capella of St. Petersburg, which included an orchestra, choir, horn orchestra and organ. Combining enormous number of choirs and orchestras, His Serene Highness Prince sometimes required introducing into the music artillery fire of ten canon battery in order that music brattled likewise runaway fire.

 April 28, 1791 Prince Potemkin’s Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg, entertained more than three thousand guests. The capital noblemen headed by Empress Catherine II, by the heir and his family gathered there to mark the triumph of the great warlord Alexander Suvorov within the Russian-Turkish War - the capture of the fortress of Izmail.

 "As soon as the highest visitors deigned to sit down on beforehand prepared seating, then suddenly the voice and instrumental music thundered, composed with three hundred people." The huge chorus and orchestra of the Capella Taurida performed a new tune - "The Rumble of Victory, be heard," which became the Russian anthem for a long time.

 It is assumed that the organ of the Taurida Palace was made by famous English organ maker Samuel Green according to the order of Catherine II. He was an organ master of King George III. Later, the Taurida Palace, inherited by Paul I, was transformed into the arena and stables due to Paul I’s evil hate towards Prince G. A. Potemkin. The needless organ stood in the choir loft in The Dome Hall, until it was given to the Knights of Malta, in a Catholic church by the order of the emperor in 1800.

    Capella Taurida is performing under the personal patronage of Vladimir Putin. 

    Capella has been founded by the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the States (the CIS members) and the company "Art-Assemblies" to the 220-year anniversary of the Taurida Palace — a remarkable monument of Russian architecture of the XVIII century, built as a country residence of Prince G.A. Potemkin, wholoved music and inspired impressive concerts and theater performances, that created a bright page in the cultural life of Russia at the time of Catherine the Great. The main objective of the modern multinational group Capella Taurida is to promote the world musical heritage. The International Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the winner of national and international contests  MikhailGolikov, follows the bicentenary  traditions  set by Prince G.A. Potemkin. Capella Taurida is eager to popularize Russian music in Russia as well as abroad, raise the professional skills of young musicians.

  Bright, young, fresh sounding of the band attracts great attention to the outstanding performers and composers of our time. The orchestra accompanied Elena Obraztsova, ZurabSotkilava, Basil Gerello, Irina Bogacheva, Igor Butman, David Goloshchekin, Anatoly Kroll, Terem Quartet, Alexander Knyazev, Alessandro Safina, Anatolia Kalvarskaya, Juan de la Rubia, Francis Goya, Hiroko Inoue, Yuri Rozum, Pauline Ossetian and many others.  A huge numbers of CDs and DVDs were recorded with the participation of world celebrities.

  Capella Orchestra Taurida tours extensively, performing in prestigious concert halls in Russia, Spain, Germany, Holland, Italy, France, Austria, and participates in international events, charity events: a concert at the Theatre du Chatelet under the patronage of the President of France, the Ceremony of awarding N.V. Gogol Literary Prize in Rome, the multimedia project "BLOKADE.NET" celebration of the 200th anniversary of the TsarskoyeSelo Lyceum in St. Petersburg and in Versailles, concerts in  St. Petersburg Economic Forum, the mission of St. Petersburg in Venice under the protectorship  of Svetlana Medvedeva Russian President's wife (in February 2010), the presentation of the project "Imperial Music Collection", the opening of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Madrid with participation of Spain's Queen Sofia, the Days of Russian Culture in Baden-Baden and Festival of Russian Cinema, a unique concert in the Hall of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, taking part in many iconic international projects supported by the Ministry of Culture, Russian partnership, the Government of St. Petersburg.

M. Glinka. The overture from the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila"
Performed by the Orchestra of the Capelal "Taurian"
Conductor and Art Director Mikhail Golikov
5.12.2010 Ekaterina's Hall of Tauride Palace.