St. Petersburg Musette Ensemble

In 1984 in Leningrad M. Mousorgsky music college created the accordion duet: Vladimir Ushakov and Sergei Likhachov. The duet started to play variety music and often took part in different concertos in the city.

Since 1989 the ensemble performed with rhythm-section: guitar, bass-guitar, drums. The new collective became known as the St. Petersburg Musette Ensemble.

Sinсe 2000 in ensemble appeared new soloist - Svetlana Stavitskaya from Daugavpils (Latvia).

The St. Petersburg Musette Ensemble organizes and participates in variety concerts, New-Year and national French, German, Finnish and etc. celebrations, different international festivals. The collective often performs abroad; its soloists have already had tours to the such countries as France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Gibraltar, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, USA, Great Britain. The Ensemble always takes part in the radio and TV programs of Russia and those of other countries.

In the repertoire - popular variety accordion music of Europe, Russia, arrangements of the "evergreen melodies" made by the ensemble, composition of A. Piazzolla. The collective performs with different groups of instruments, cooperates with vocalists who work in various styles.

Since 1998 the Ensemble has been offering new forms of work with the audience. Tours around the country have been aimed not only at organizing concerts but at educating which means organizing traveling seminars, masterclasses, workshops, conferences, lectures.

The St. Petersburg Musette Ensemble also organizes the "Meetings of the Friends on the Neva riversides".

Since November, 1999, the soloists of ensemble Vladimir Ushakov, Sergei Likhachov and Svetlana Stavitskaya have been accomplishing a new project: Baltic International Accordion Quintet ''Excelsior''.