[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5330]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE WASHINGTON BALALAIKA SOCIETY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 16, 2013

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the Washington 
Balalaika Society. The Washington Balalaika Society is a Russian folk 
orchestra founded in 1988. They are a group of musicians dedicated to 
studying and performing the rich musical heritage of Russia, Ukraine 
and Eastern Europe on traditional instruments and in national costume. 
Today, it is one of the largest and most active of the Russian folk 
orchestras outside of Russia and performs often in the Northern 
Virginia-Greater Washington area.
  The orchestra is celebrating both its 25th year, and also the 10th 
anniversary of its conductor, Svetlana Nikonova and her family, 
emigrating from St. Petersburg, Russia to the United States. In 2006, 
Ms. Nikonova was granted permanent residency in the United States as an 
``artist of extraordinary ability.'' Her family performs with the 
orchestra, her husband on the bayan (Russian accordion), her daughter 
on the flute and percussion and her son, studying music composition at 
James Madison University, composes music for the orchestra.
  The Society's initial membership of eight has grown to more than 55 
musicians and it is now the largest of its kind in America, with 
musicians from in their teens to those in their 90s. It includes 
several orchestra musician ensembles that present educational and 
cultural outreach programs in schools, parks, retirement communities 
and for charitable events in the United States and Russia.
  The Russian folk orchestra was founded in St. Petersburg, Russia in 
the late 1800's by Vasily Andreyev when he realized that the 
balalaika's unique and inimitable sound needed to receive greater 
recognition, moving this initial peasant class instrument to the 
concert stage. The orchestra is organized in instrumental sections 
similar to a symphony orchestra and under the direction of a conductor. 
Its principal instruments are the triangular-shaped balalaikas and 
oval-shaped domras and the ``shimmering'' sound is produced by the 
rapid plucking of the strings of the balalaikas, the domras, a gusli 
(table-harp) and supplemented with accordions, woodwinds and 
percussion.
  Its mystical and enchanting musical sound is patterned after the 
traditional Russian folk orchestras. Moscow Channel 1 Television, the 
largest television station in Russia, filmed the orchestra's rehearsal 
at Rock Spring Church and concert at Kenmore Auditorium, both in my 
district, and a video-clip was shown on Russian television. It showed 
Moscow viewers a large and well-developed Russian folk orchestra in 
America.
  ``Alive at Twenty-Five, a Silver Anniversary Celebration,'' concerts 
will be presented on May 18 and 19, featuring Alexander Tsygankov, 
Russia's premier domra soloist, and Andrei Saveliev, America's 
balalaika virtuoso. We're proud the Virginia concert will be held in my 
district at Yorktown High School, in Arlington.
  The Washington Balalaika Society's goal is to expand awareness and 
appreciation of this musical art form by performing in a broad range of 
audiences in a variety of venues. It has performed at the Kennedy 
Center Concert Hall with the Paul Hill Chorale and The Chorale Arts 
Society, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Embassy of the Russian 
Federation, and the Smithsonian Institution. It has been the guest of 
the Andreyev Musical Foundation at concerts in New Jersey. Russian 
Soprano Olga Orlovskaya, great grand-daughter of the famous Russian 
basso, Feodor Chaliapan, is often a featured soloist.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to recognize the Balalaika Society, both for 
their cultural mission spreading news of this art form and the 
wonderful music they perform in Virginia and around the world.

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