Beyond Concert Halls: Three Places Where You Can Listen to Organ Music
Have you ever wanted to attend a music performance in a church or a cathedral? They might not be the first place that comes to mind while thinking of concerts, but some functioning churches and cathedrals in Moscow host organ and other music recitals. Life in Moscow has compiled a list of such places located near the city centre and not far from metro stations.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary
Consecrated in 1911, the neo-Gothic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also known as the Moscow Catholic Cathedral) is a popular venue for concerts.
The high vaulted ceilings and vast spaces inside the cathedral create a resonant sound environment that enhances musical performances.
The cathedral hosts various concerts throughout the year, from classical and choral performances to folk, jazz, and contemporary music recitals. The centrepiece of the concerts held in the cathedral is the 60-year-old Kuhn organ, which was brought to Russia from Switzerland.
Concert schedule
- February 28, 2024, (Wed) at 8pm Music of the World’s Cathedrals by Dalibor Miklavcic (organ, Slovenia)
- March 2, 2024, (Sat) at 8pm J. S. Bach. Music for Lent by honoured Artist of Russia, honoured Art Worker of Russia, Professor Alexey Parshin (organ)
- March 6, 2024, (Wed) at 8pm The Passion of Christ. Arias and Duets from J. S. Bach’s Passions by Soloists of the E. V. Kolobov New Opera Theatre and laureates of international competitions
- March 13, 2024, (Wed) at 8pm Bach, Bosch and Neoclassicism. Organ, Violin and Neural Network. ARTBENE organ duo by titular organist of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Moscow and laureates of international competitions
- March 16, 2024, (Sat) at 8pm The Little Mermaid. A Musical Fairy Tale with Sand Animation by laureates of international competitions and a sand animation artist
Address: 27/13 Malaya Gruzinskaya Ulitsa
Open: Every day (except Wed, Sat): 7:15 am—8 pm
Wed, Sat: 7:15 am—7 pm
Tickets: from 900 to 2500 roubles
* Tickets can be purchased on the website
The Evangelical-Lutheran St Peter and Paul's Cathedral
Located in the centre of Moscow, the Evangelical-Lutheran St Peter and Paul's Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia, and its parish is one of the oldest Lutheran parishes in Russia.
The current structure was built between 1903 and 1905 to accommodate Moscow's growing Lutheran congregation of 17,000, largely made up of people from ethnic German, Latvian, Estonian, Finnish, and Swedish backgrounds. The cathedral has now reopened to visitors after a reconstruction project that lasted from 1997 to 2010, during which the 62-metre spire of the cathedral was restored. Worship services there are conducted in Russian and German.
The historic Romantic organ inside the cathedral was made by W. Sauer in 1898. It miraculously survived the October Revolution and was used for a long time in the crematorium of the Donskoy Monastery.
The cathedral is the main concert hall for Belcanto, a charitable organisation. To promote organ music, every performance is accompanied by visual effects and video installations. Both adapted versions of works by popular composers and original contemporary organ music are performed in the cathedral.
Concert schedule
- February 28, 2024, (Wed) at 8pm The Music of the Greats: Bach, Mozart, Haydn
- March 1, 2024, (Fri) at 6pm Symphonic Rock Hits. Pink Floyd, Queen, The Beatles
- March 1, 2024, (Fri) at 9pm Symphonic Hits. Interstellar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, The Dark Knight
- March 2, 2024, (Sat) at 3pm Treasures of the Baroque. Vivaldi. The Seasons
- March 6, 2024, (Wed) at 8pm Rock Ballads in the Cathedral. Scorpions, Metallica, Queen, The Beatles
Address: 7/10 Starosadsky Pereulok
Open: Every day (except Mon): 9 am—8 pm
Mon: closed
Tickets: from 800 roubles
* Tickets can be purchased on the website
St Andrew's Anglican Church
St Andrew's is the only Anglican church in Moscow. The building is notable for its architecture, history, and the medieval atmosphere inside. It was constructed in the second half of the 19th century, and has been a home to the Anglican community since 1885. During Soviet times, St Andrew’s served as a hostel for young women and a home for foreign diplomats, and the building was also used as a record studio for music labels. After a visit by Elizabeth II in 1994, the Russian government returned the building for religious purposes.
Learn more in this short video about the church.
The musical tradition of St Andrew’s continues to this day thanks to the various concerts and performances held in the church. These range from classical music, music from operas and operettas, the works of Bach, Vivaldi and Handel, and organ, saxophone, and harp recitals. The venue also hosts themed concerts dedicated to popular TV series, movies, and acoustic covers of world hits.
Concert schedule
- February 26, 2024, (Mon) at 8pm The Carnival of Venice. Lute, Baroque Harp, Voice
- March 01, 2024, (Fri) at 8pm An Ancient Organ and an Armenian Duduk. Tango, Jazz and Classic
- March 2, 2024, (Sat) at 8:30pm The Stars of the Bolshoi Theatre in the Anglican Cathedral. Ave Maria
- March 4, 2024, (Mon) at 8pm Candlelit Evening. Three Geniuses: Handel, Vivaldi, Purcell
Address: 8 Voznesensky Pereulok
Open: To visit every Mon, Tue, Wed: 12 pm – 5 pm
Concerts: Mon, Fri, Sat
Tickets: From 800 roubles
* Information about concerts can be found on the website
Text by Polina Safronova, Polina Sukhacheva, and Olga Timofeeva, bachelor’s students of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication, interns at the HSE University English website team