The St. Petersburg Union of Composers is one of the oldest organizations in Russia. The Union was found in 1932 under the name of the USSR Union of Composers. During 7 decades the chair of the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Union of Composers was given to outstanding masters, whose names are widely-known both in Russia and abroad. In the years of 1930 - 1940 its chairmen were Isaak Dunaevsky, Vladimir Scherbachev, Valerian Bogdanov-Berezovsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, Mikhail Chulaki. Since 1948 till 1964 - Vasily Solovyev-Sedoi, from 1964 till the present moment - Andrei Petrov . Since 1948 the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Union of Composers has been situated in historical estate of Gagarina, the Duchess, constructed by Auguste Monferran on Bolshaya Morskaya, 14.

The St. Petersburg Union of Composers is the second after the Moscow one organization of Russia, uniting 211 composers and musicologists. Its oldest member is 94 years-old, Abram Gozenpud, with Ph.D. in philology and a professor, and the youngest is Natalia Volkova, 28 of age only. The inner structure of the union is totally free from formalism and is based on the adopted by the appropriate government body Code. The union's current work is guided by the Board of 19 members, which has its Presidium comprising chairman (A.Petrov), two of the vice-chairmen (V.A. Uspensky and G.O. Korchmar) and the president of the St. Petersburg Music Fund (A.S. Nesterov). Control over the directing body activities is executed by the Revision Commission consisting of 6 people and headed by V.A. Gurevich.

Several associations hold the Union's creative activities. Among them are - traditional sections of chamber and symphony music; of critic, musicology and folklore, of children's, popular and light music; of youth music; the innovations of the latest decade which is "Sound Paths" association; the association of modern music; a "Melos" composers' circle and many others. There are no constant members to these associations, for they unite musicians according to their interests, closely connected to style, genre aspirations of a particular author. Such a freedom in creation preferences allows to support the democracy of the union inner life as well as smooth arising contradictions. It was not by hazard that the St. Petersburg Composers Union happened to be the only one among other creative unions of the city that did not split at the beginning of the 1990s and that managed to wholly retain its property.

The property of the union is rather valuable. It accounts for the Music House on the Staropetergovskoe highway, 44; the House of Creation "Repino"; the premises of the former music-books store on the Nevsky, 54. The effective usage of the property allows the union not only to continue its creative activity in the conditions of new market economy without government subsidies, but also allows to hold regular chamber concerts, the meetings of creative persons in the halls of the House of Composers, as well as to organize studies in "The Notation Country", musical club of school students and the studies of the self-found composers seminar framework.

In 2002, for the 38th, time Annual International Festival, "The St. Petersburg Musical Spring" has been held , as well as the 13th International Children Music Festival which comprised the L. Brook international contest of forte-piano duets and "I am a composer" contest of V. Gavrilina.

Indeed, simple enumeration is not capable to reproduce real sounds of music. In order to hear it - You may visit our Web site, or come to Our House. You are welcome!

Our address is Bolshaya Morskaya, 45; the House of Composers.
Telephone and fax: 311-35-48
Å-mail: unikomp@mail.ru