ST.PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2020) The new "federal territory" status of Sirius in Russia's south may give an additional boost to cultural development strategy of the township, including the plan to make it an international center where the world-class musicians come to perform, Hans-Joachim Frey, the artistic director of the Sirius Talent and Success Foundation in the Russian city of Sochi, told Sputnik.
A bill that declares the creation of Russia's first territory with "federal territory" status in Sirius, in the Russian city of Sochi, where Russia hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics, was submitted for discussion to the lower house of the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, in November. The new territorial entity with a special status was envisioned in constitutional amendments adopted earlier this year.
"For me personally, a new status changes nothing. The educational process in Sirius will remain the same but may receive an additional boost. It is about children and culture. We are building a new concert hall. We are working very hard on it should be ready in 2.5 years. From the beginning I viewed it as an international center where the best musicians come to perform. They would hold master classes for kids as well. In this particular matter it will be helpful to have a Federal status to cut the time needed for decision making process," Frey said.
According to artistic director, the Sirius Educational Center already has a long-term cultural development strategy, however, it may receive an additional boost as the federal territory's administration will receive authority typically wielded by officials at the federal level and its own budget separate from the Krasnodar Territory.
Frey highlighted that despite the pandemic, the cultural development strategy was not altered either. It includes implementation of ambitious projects such as the construction of a new multifunctional concert hall and plans for concert series which would feature participation by the world-class musicians and artists.
"In 2018, we did 50 concerts already, in 2019 we did 83 concerts and we want to keep going. Of course, due to the pandemic in 2020 we hold only 40 concerts and 25 of them were open-air productions. At the moment we decided not to have any concerts until the end of February. We expect to start our festival season in the second part of February-the beginning of March. We are expecting to hold some 90 concerts in 2021," he said.
The Sirius township comprises more than 3,000 square acres and is home to more than 12,500 people. The Sirius Talent and Success Foundation is at the heart of the Sirius Educational Center for Gifted Children that inherited jurisdiction over the Olympic facilities located in Sochi. The center was Russian President Vladimir Putin's initiative.
