The Imperial Russian Musical Society in Siberian Cities at the End of the 19th and the Beginning of the 20th Century: Problems and Achievements

The work of the Imperial Russian Musical Society (IRMS) in the cities of Siberia is examined in the article. Two main directions of activity – performance and education. The success of the work on organizing concerts was connected with the cities of Tomsk, Tobolsk, Omsk and Irkutsk, where professional musicians performed, efforts were undertaken in creation of orchestral and choral ensembles, and tours were organized by European performers. The programs included compositions by European and Russian classics, contemporary works, including little known oeuvres. By the efforts of the members of the organization, numerous thematic concerts devoted to the musical legacy (Mikhail Glinka, Anton Rubinstein, Piotr Tchaikovsky) were arranged. The genre scope of the compositions was quite broad – from songs and art songs to string quartets and symphonies. Outstanding performers took part in the concerts. Graduates of the Musical Classes of the IRMS had the opportunity to continue their education in conservatories, some of them became professional artists. The work of the Society was widely covered in the Siberian press, including the publications “Sibirskaya zhizn'” [“Siberian Life”], “Tomskiy listok” [“The Tomsk Leaf”], “Vostochnoe obozrenie” [“The Eastern Overview”], and “Sibirskiy vestnik” [“The Siberian Herald”]. The reported study was funded by Russian Foundation for Basic Research: Grant No. 17-04-00443 a. Keywords: Russian Musical Society (RMO), the musical culture of Siberia, Musical Classes, the Siberian press, musical performance.