19 April - 9 May 2009 VIII Moscow Easter Festival will be held in Moscow and in 28 cities under the assistance of Moscow government, Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation and with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill. Art director is Valery Gergiev. On his initiative and under the assistance of Moscow mayor Y.M.Lujkov the Festival continues the tradition of Easter forums held all over the world. It becomes more popular what shows its growing role in cultural life of the country. Moscow Easter Festival is first and foremost a charitable, regional, educational event. Its program in 2009 consists of 100 concerts where more than 500 distinguished soloists and musical groups will participate. Main part of Easter Festival will consist of symphonic, chamber, choral programs and special projects. The main actor of Festival symphonic program is famous symphony orchestra of Mariinsky theater conducted by Valery Gergiev. The largest British newspaper the Financial Times named orchestra of Mariinsky theater one of the greatest theaters in the world. The New York Times’ correspondent Entony Tommasini noted: "Swing and power of Mariinsky orchestra rise from organic richness and ponderable performance". "Their performance under Valery Gergiev’s conduction was confident and passionate at the same time" (The New York Times, 11.11.08). Symphonic program will comprise performace of the brightest world stars Anna Netrebko, Denis Matsuev, Yuri Bashmet, Nikolay Tsnaider, Serget Hachatryan. Tolyatti symphony phylarmonic orchestra, state Sakha-Yakutia orchestra, state symphony orchestra "Novaya Rossiya" will also take part in Festival 2009. It will gladden its amateurs with premiere of new opera performance "Figaro’s wedding" by Mozart, P.Chaikovsky’s libretto. The Festival will be opened with world premiere R. Shchedrin’s Sympony diptych. Charity of the 8th Moscow Easter Festival is targeted for socially unprotected part of citizens, students, veterans of Great patriotic War, musical society. Concerts will take place in cultural centers, orphanages, board and care facilities. Publicly-accessible performances of Mariinsky symphony orchestra for youth, students, teachers, which will take place on April 23 in Sverdlovsk State Academic phylarmonic, April 25 - in Moscow State University named after Lomonosov, April 30 - in Belomorsk. On May 4 in Erevan open rehearsal of state Youth Armenian orchestra will take place with participation of Gergiev. Publicly-accessible festive concert on Victory day (May 9) in Moscow on Poklonnaya Gora with participation of Mariinsky symphony orchestra has become traditional annual event. More than 250,000 listeners attend it. About 30% of tickets will be bought out under the auspices of Festival’s supporters, Valery Gergiev’s Charity Fund and given to social organizations. The remaining part of the tickets will be sold by theatre booking offices where will take place concerts in order to make them available for public. Regional direction of 8th Moscow Easter Festival comprises large geographic range: from Murmansk to Khabarovsk, from yakutsk to Erevan. 28 cities will be included to the program. Symphony concerts with participation of Mariinsky orchestra will take part in 11 Russian cities: Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Hizhny Novgorod, Perm, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Belomorsk, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Veliky Novgorod.