The 9th International Festival of Musical Antiquities “Slovisha” will take place in Veliky Novgorod from June 12 to 15. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience ancient musical instruments.

The festival will feature concerts with representatives from 25 regions of Russia, along with participants from Belarus, Kazakhstan, and India.

Ethnomusicologists will deliver lectures, and master classes will be offered. Events dedicated to the Russian vargan and gusli are also planned.

The symbol of the festival is the five-stringed lyre-shaped gusli with the carved inscription “Slovisha,” discovered in 1975 in Veliky Novgorod at the Troitsky excavation site.

The festival has been held in Veliky Novgorod since 2017 in memory of Vladimir Povetkin, a scientist, artist, musician, and Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation.

In 1990, Vladimir Povetkin established the Center for Musical Antiquities in the city, which was later named after him and will serve as one of the venues for the June event.