The world-renowned Moscow Sretensky Monastery Choir will be performing at a first-come, first-serve free concert at Katara Cultural Village Amphitheater on October 5, it was announced. The event, which will start at 8pm, forms part of the ongoing celebrations of the Qatar–Russia Year of Culture 2018.
Founded in 1397, the legendary choir will be performing a medley of the best songs in a national singing tradition, including Russian, Ukrainian and Cossack folk songs, World War II songs, and popular Russian romantic songs.
The ensemble gives concerts at the top halls around the world – from the Carnegie Hall to the National Theater of Costa-Rica.
The choir of Moscow Sretensky Monastery is one of the most prominent church-singing ensembles of Russia. In the Soviet times, the monastery was closed, and the choir was disbanded. The convent reopened in 1994. This is when a new group of choir singers was formed – the ones who still represent the Russian sacred and secular music worldwide today.   
International success of the choir does not divert it from its main aim – participation in religious services, cultural initiatives and major events of the Russian Orthodox Church. For example, the musicians take part in the annual Easter Festival; from 2006 to 2012, the singers performed church services in the Far East and Siberia, sang at the consecration of the church of Saint Constantine and Helen in Istanbul. In the same years, the choir gave a concert in Vatican, went on a world tour devoted to the unification of the Russian Orthodox Church and travelled around South America within the framework of “Russian Days in Latin American Countries.”
The choir also performed in Notre-Dame de Paris and Unesco and also took part in one of the most prestigious professional events – Beijing musical festival.
The concert at Katara is a part of the year-long cultural exchange between Qatar and Russia and runs with the support of the general partner – Rosneft Oil company.
The Year of Culture Qatar-Russia 2018 aims to create the atmosphere of trust and understanding, which is crucial for building business ties and strengthening the economic, cultural and tourism partnership between the two countries.