The Accordion Virtuosi of Russia, an energetic and incredibly talented group of young musicians, is once again touring the United States. If they are performing in your area, make it a point to go see them!

The ensemble, consisting of 35 young accordionists, percussionists, string players and a pianist from St. Petersburg, Russia, performed at the beautiful Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC on November 8. The audience, many from the local accordion and Russian communities, was mesmerized as these amazing teenagers and young adults performed two 45-minute segments of classical, contemporary, folk and rock music — totally without sheet music.

Their musical selection, consisting of music by J. Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Joplin, Bernstein, Copeland, traditional Russian folk tunes and more, could not have been more perfect. The audience was on its feet cheering for this happy, delightful group until they sat down and played for us again.

Founded in 1943 by Prof. Pavel Smirnov, the ensemble was invited, within its first six months, to record on the state radio. Since its inception, Accordion Virtuosi of Russia has been led by three generations of the Smirnov family: first by its founder Pavel Smirnov, and now by his sons Yuri and Vladimir, as well as his grandson, Yaroslav.

They have performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world including the Gewandhaus, Verona’s Arena, Olympia Hall in Paris, and the Great Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg.

Kudos to the Smirnov family for the fantastic work preparing these gifted young people to perform with such skill and total joy!