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Frequently Asked Questions

We have gathered answers to what people ask most often: about taking part in the festival and about scholarships, about donations and about the work of the Foundation.

Festival and scholarships

For participants

Who may take part in the “Moscow Meets Friends” festival?

Children and teenagers up to 18 years of age may take part — as soloists, ensembles and groups or as visual artists — both in person and online. The disciplines are: instrumental performance, vocals, choral ensembles, spoken word, choreography, circus arts and painting.

For festival participants →

How do I apply, and by what date?

An application is submitted through the Foundation’s personal account in four steps: registration and completion of the profile, recording a video specifically for the festival, uploading the link to the video and submitting the application itself.

Applications for the XXIII festival are accepted until 15 March 2026. Selection results are published after 15 May 2026.

Go to your personal account →

What are the requirements for the video recording?
  • No more than two vivid concert pieces, with a total duration of up to 5 minutes; no large forms, polyphony or school études.
  • The recording was made no earlier than 6 months before submission and filmed specifically for the festival, not taken from an archive.
  • Horizontal orientation, resolution 1920×1080 or higher, MP4 format.
  • The performer’s bow after the final chord must be in the frame; no extraneous noise, applause or voices.
  • The description must list the composers and lyricists, the arrangers and the names of the accompanists.

Full requirements →

Where should the video be hosted — are YouTube or Rutube suitable?

No. The video is posted on a file-sharing service — Yandex.Disk, Google Drive or Mail.ru Cloud — and the link is uploaded to your personal account. YouTube, VK Video and Rutube are not suitable for an application.

What do the festival organisers cover?

The organisers provide accommodation for one soloist and one accompanying person — from the day of arrival until the day after the performance, with breakfasts and transfers. Participants perform with their own accompanists.

The principal organiser — the Vladimir Spivakov International Charitable Foundation — acts with the support of the Government of Moscow, the Department of Culture, the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO. All other questions about participation — to info@spivakov.ru.

How does one become a scholarship holder of the Foundation?

There is a single route, and it begins with the festival: an application through the personal account, assessment by the expert panel, an invitation from the artistic director and participation in the Foundation’s concert programmes over the course of the year.

Only a regular participant in the concert programmes can become a scholarship holder — this is a mandatory condition. The decision is made by the Expert Council; consideration requires a recommendation from a teacher or an educational institution.

How to become a scholarship holder →

What documents are needed to receive the scholarship?

If the Expert Council has selected a candidate, three documents are submitted as a single package: the biographical questionnaire of the Foundation’s scholarship holder, the list of documents required to receive the scholarship and a letter of consent to the processing of personal data.

The package is sent to info@spivakov.ru; the subject line should read: “For receiving the scholarship: the child’s full name in the nominative case.” If even one document is missing, the request may not be considered.

How to help

Donations

How do I make a donation?

On the “Support the Foundation” page, choose a one-time or monthly payment and the amount. A donation can be transferred by QR code through the Fast Payment System (SBP) or by the Foundation’s bank details, which are published on the same page.

Payment purpose: “Charitable donation for the statutory purposes of the Foundation”. Payment by card and via SBP directly on the site will be enabled at launch.

Support the Foundation →

Can a monthly donation be cancelled?

Yes, the monthly charge can be cancelled at any time. The terms of the donation are set out in the public offer agreement.

Donation offer (RU) →

Is it possible to help other than with money?

Yes. Targeted fundraising for the Foundation’s beneficiaries runs on the “SberVmeste” platform. The “Miles of Mercy” programme, together with Aeroflot, turns accumulated miles into air tickets for children — for treatment far from home, competitions and concerts; over the life of the programme 148 million miles and 4 280 tickets have been donated. Another way is to give a musical instrument.

All the ways to help →

How can I donate a musical instrument?

The Foundation accepts musical instruments as gifts and passes them on to gifted children: violins, flutes, clarinets, trumpets, French horns, guitars. The list of instruments given as gifts and the list of agreements are published in a separate section.

To discuss donating an instrument, write or call the Foundation — contacts.

Instruments gifted by the Foundation →

About the Foundation and its events

General questions

What does the Foundation do?

The Vladimir Spivakov International Charitable Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded on 30 May 1994 at the initiative of the violinist and conductor Vladimir Spivakov.

The Foundation helps talented children develop their abilities: it organises master classes, concerts, tours and exhibitions in Russia and abroad, awards named scholarships, gives musical instruments and supports participation in international competitions. Each month around twenty major projects take place around the world.

About the Foundation →

How can I see the calendar and buy tickets?

The calendar of concerts and projects is in the “Events Calendar” section. You can browse through the months and choose a date, or find any event since 2014 in the general list, with a search and a filter by year.

If tickets are already on sale, the event has a “Buy a ticket” button; if sales have not yet opened, it is marked “Tickets on sale soon”. Clicking on the event row reveals the address of the venue and a map.

Events calendar →

Where can I see the Foundation’s reporting and bank details?

The “Documents and Reporting” section publishes the accounting and financial statements from 2013 onwards, the annual public reports for 2021 and 2022, the Foundation’s charter, the Unified State Register of Legal Entities certificate and the taxpayer identification certificate.

The full bank details, the taxpayer identification number and the primary state registration number are given on the “Contacts” and “Support the Foundation” pages.

Documents and reporting →

Did not find an answer

Write to the Foundation

If your question is not here — get in touch with us. We will reply and point you to the right person.

Foundation contacts