The orchestra of Helikon-Opera theatre is a creative group composed of 108 high class musicians. The leading part in its formation was played by the Chief Conductor of the theatre, People’s Artist of Russia maestro Kirill Tikhonov. He came to the theatre in 1990, when the orchestra totalled ten people, and only the laziest critic didn’t make fun of it. But the enthusiasm and creativity of young founders of the theater was so infectious, that made Maestro, who conducted the best orchestras of Russia and abroad such as Mariinsky and Bolshoy theatres, to accede to make a new orchestra.

An orchestra of an opera theater is a very special musical organism. The sound of symphonic orchestra must be combined with flexibility of the accompaniment. The various repertoire, annually replenishing with a new names promoted that the orchestra successfully plays music of different epochs and genres. Abroad the orchestra frequently performs symphonic solo concerts. The group of musicians from the orchestra of Helikon was united in a chamber orchestra of the theater.

High professionalism of musicians inspired many great conductors such as Gennadiy Rogdestvenskiy, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sergey Stadler, Evgeny Brazhnik, Antonello Alemandi, Teodor Kurentzis, Jullian Gallant, Dominique Ruitz.

Since 2002 the orchestra is directed by the Chief Conductor of the theater, The People’s Artist of Russia, The Golden Mask Prize winner Maestro Vladimir Ponkin / BIOGRAPHY

Director of the orchestra - Alexander Makeev

Inspector of the orchestra - Eugeny Bank

Concertmaster of the orchestra – The Honoured Artist of Russia Tatiana Merezhko

Conductors:

Viktoria Unguryanu

People's Artist of Russia Eugene Brazhnik

Honoured Artist of Russia Denis Kirpanev

Konstantin Chudovsky

Alexander Voloschuk

Artists of the orchestra

Ist Violins
Concertmaster – Elena Zhelezina
Rinat Safimov, Natalia Strelnikova, Dmitry Makeev, Varvara Konstantinova, Elena Yurina,
Ella Ermolova, Elena Yanchenkova, Karina Prokof'eva, Dmitriy Savelov,
Yulia Matveeva, Inessa Ivanova, Maria Koroleva, Nikolai Zherenkov,
Galiya Mingazutdinova, Liudmila Zotkova, Vladimir Sergeev, Irina Chepizhnaya

II Violins
Concertmaster – Aleksandr Makeyev
Anna Nechaeva, Dmitriy Makeev, Nikolay Artemiev, Elena Zorian,
Elena Saiko, Yulia Koroleva, Olga Tatarintseva, Tatiana Root,
Vadim Gimpelevich, Honoured Artist of Russia Pavel Chudnovskiy, Anna Yanovskaya

Violas
Concertmaster – The Honoured Artist of Russia Rashit Kabirov
Igor Melnikov, Tatiana Guriyanova, Marina Yanovskaya,
Irina Ikova, Elena Savelova, Olga Odintsova, Ilia Gusev

Cellos
Concertmaster – The Honoured Artist of Russia Viktor Kozodov
Tatiana Orobinskaia, The Honoured Artist of Russia Tatiana Nakhaeva, Grigorii Kats,  Tatiana Salo,
Ilia Lidogoster, Natalia Serebriakova, Natalia Chekmazova, Aleksandr Vainrot

Contrabasses
Concertmaster – Aleksandr Sirotin
The Honoured Artist of Russia Andrey Meshcherinov, Anton Vinogradov, Viacheslav Mikhailov,
Gennadiy Borisov, Igor Sapezhinskiy, Sergey Kirichenko

Harps
Concertmaster – Valentina Borisova
Yulia Komarova

Flutes
Concertmaster – Daria Galochkina
Olga Otradnova, Anna Tsiplikhina, Maya Berinskaya, Tatiana Goniashvili

Oboe
Concertmaster – Elizaveta Tuzova
Concertmaster – Maya Dorfman
Valeriy Kalashnikov, Aleksandr Brazhnik, Sviatoslav Bogdanov

Clarinets
Concertmaster – Filipp Markhvinskiy
Andrey Tuchkin, Vladimir Khachikian, Anna Dyrul, Aleksandr Blok

Bassoons
Concertmaster – The People's Artist of Russia Vladimir Vlasenko
Oleg Medvedev, Nikolay Gus'kov, Sergey Gusev, Filipp Ishkhanov, Alexey Koniakhin

French horns
Concertmaster – The Honoured Artist of Russia Aleksandr Rayev, Alexey Rayev, Aleksey Rynzin,Vasily Ivkov,
Andrey Aleinikov, Mikhail Velichko, Igor Vasiliev, Mikhail Zlobin

Trumpets
Concertmaster – The Honoured Artist of Russia Andrey Ikov
Sergey Yanov, Leonid Gorshkov, Kirill Ivanov, Nikolai Pavlov, Ovik Khachatrian

Trombones
Concertmaster – Yuri Dobrogorskiy
Viktor Sergeyev, Oleg Makarishin, Ivan Lykin, Vladimir Popov, Yuri Il'iukhin, Yuri Khustochka

Tubas
Concertmaster – Yuri Afonin
Vladimir Skobelev

Percussion
Concertmaster – The Honoured Artist of Russia Viacheslav Bagrash
Evgeniy Bank, Evgeniy Morozov, Stanislav Lebedev