The Foundation’s largest project: for over twenty years, this international festival has opened the finest concert stages of Moscow to gifted children from around the world.
“Moscow Meets Friends” is an international festival for gifted children and young people. Held annually since 2004, it brings together talented young musicians, performers and artists from across Russia and abroad.
The XXIII festival will take place on 1–10 October 2026 under the motto “The Light of Mercy…” and is dedicated to the Year of the Unity of Peoples declared in Russia.
The festival discovers and supports outstanding young talents, drawing public attention to gifted youth and to the idea of charity. Over the years it has gathered young participants from more than 400 cities of Russia, all the CIS countries and 50 foreign states; in recent years alone more than 30 countries have been represented at the festival. Its audience numbers no fewer than 25,000 spectators at the venues and up to 10 million people through the media.
The programme of the XXIII festival (1–10 October 2026) features nine concerts, two art exhibitions in the foyers of the halls, two online concerts, two virtual exhibitions and two online master classes. Talented participants are awarded musical instruments and named scholarships. Special invitations go to the children of servicemen and to young people from the border regions — the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
At the ceremonial opening concert, conducted by Vladimir Spivakov, the Mercy prize has been awarded since 2014 — an honour for people who have devoted themselves to the ideals of humanism. Among its laureates are the actor Yevgeny Mironov, the cardiac surgeon Leo Bokeria and the paediatrician Leonid Roshal.
The festival’s concerts and exhibitions take place on the finest stages of the capital.
The festival is organised by the Vladimir Spivakov International Charitable Foundation, with the support of the Government of Moscow, the Moscow City 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.
Applications for the XXIII festival are accepted until 15 March 2026. Find out the terms and submit your application.
How to take part