The Band of the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Armed Forces
Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Kolesnikov, Head of the Band and military conductor.
The Band of the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Armed Forces was formed in 1998 as the result of merging together the bands of the Malinovskiy Armored Forces Academy and Frunze Military Academy. With the latter established back in 1931, it is regarded that the present band counts more than 85 years of history including the glorious history of its predecessors.
During the Great Patriotic War many of the bands’ musicians were part of the so called frontline brigades that went to battlefields to perform for the Red Army soldiers and officers.
From 1959 to 1971 the Frunze Military Academy Band performed onstage of the best concert venues of Moscow, featuring the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, Pillar Hall of Unions, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall and Moscow State Conservatory. It was led then by Colonel Raichshtein, Professor and Honored Artist of Russia. The group recorded seven CDs and more than 120 music pieces composed by Soviet and foreign authors. It always was a
The ensemble was widely known not only inside the country but outside it as well. In 1972 it travelled to Belgium to participate in the celebrations dedicated to the Kingdom’s Independence Day, and in 1990 performed on the Champs Elysees in Paris.
