The Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic was founded in 1989 on the basis of the touring and concert department of the Belarusian State Philharmonic in the Vitebsk region. The created institution was designed to promote classical music, popularize national culture and world performing schools.
The collectives and soloists of the Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic are actively touring at various stages of the region, the republic and beyond. Leading ensembles and performers from Belarus, Russia, the Baltic States and Western European countries perform in the hall of the Vitebsk Philharmonic, whose building is located in the historical center of the city, on Lenin Square.
And once there was a city theater, which opened in 1873-74 on the initiative of Vitebsk governor Pavel Yakovlevich Rostovtsev on the current Lenin Square (at that time it was Smolenskaya Bazarnaya Square). The theater building was recognized as outstanding, it was written about it that it "can compete with theaters in big cities." On January 10, 1874, Emperor Alexander II approved the name of the theater – Rostovtsevsky. In the autumn of 1920, the Vitebsk City Theater was renamed the Provincial Demonstration Theater.
The theater operated successfully until 1941. During the Great Patriotic War, the troupe was evacuated to Uralsk. Returning to Vitebsk after the war, the artists saw only the ruins of the theater building, which, unfortunately, could no longer be renovated. Time passed, and in 1957, a building was built on the site of the pre-revolutionary city theater for the Palace of Culture of the Department of Consumer Services, which was designed by architect A. Yefremenok.
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32 years later, on May 22, 1989, by the decision of the regional Executive Committee, the Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic was formed on the basis of the touring and concert department of the Belarusian State Philharmonic (which had existed in Vitebsk since 1975). The Philharmonic is located in the aforementioned building. In 2005, its large–scale reconstruction was completed, during which it was decided to preserve the old style of the building - the "Stalinist Empire".
Since the establishment of the Philharmonic, its directors have been Irina Vasilyevna Babenko (from 1983 to 1989 – the touring and concert bureau, from 1989 to 1997 - the Philharmonic) and Vladimir Petrovich Pravilov (from 1998 to 2004). From 2004 to 2022, the Philharmonic's staff was headed by Elena Mikhailovna Podolyak. Currently, Tatiana Adamovna Savitskaya is the director of the Philharmonic.
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The Philharmonic currently consists of creative groups: the Symphony Orchestra (artistic director Vladimir Belyavsky); the Vitebsk Virtuosi balalaika octet (artistic director Tamara Shafranova, Honored Artist of the Republic of Belarus); the Talaka Dance, Music and Song Ensemble (artistic director Alexander Veremiev) and the Alcor cymbal ensemble (instrumental soloists Sergey Timoshenko, Ekaterina Melnikova, Marina Popkova). Soloists-vocalists: Oksana Novikova, Elena Pavlenkova, Sergey Belousov, Julietta Tarakhchyan, Alexander Yakimchuk, Alexandra Davydova, Marina Homan, Nadezhda Tsaruk, Viktor Yanchenko; concertmasters Tatiana Shakhray and Pavel Yakubchenok.
Every year, the Philharmonic holds about a thousand concerts not only on its stage, but also throughout the region and beyond. The audience is over 150,000 people of various categories.: urban and rural residents, adults and children of all ages.
Project activity has become a new area of activity of the Philharmonic. In 2010, a series of concert and educational programs for expectant mothers "Weaving a soul out of notes" (author and presenter Tatiana Savitskaya) was created and further developed, the only one of its kind in Belarus.
The cycle of classical music programs for preschool children and their parents, "Tales of the Lyali Doll," is a semantic continuation of musical meetings for expectant mothers to "Weave the soul out of notes." Young viewers have the opportunity to hear the timbres of various musical instruments, play simple noise and melodic instruments with the musicians and sing. Musical education develops the child's ability to listen and hear, feel, move, and most importantly, think. Music opens up a world of new images and impressions for the little man.
As part of the state program "Public Health and Demographic Security of the Republic of Belarus", which aims to improve demographic potential and strengthen the institution of the family, the Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic introduced benefits for large families for concerts from the Philharmonic for Children cycle on January 1, 2019.
Concert organizers try to introduce genre diversity into the Philharmonic's repertoire, focusing on the needs and tastes of listeners of different age categories. The playbill includes vocal, piano, chamber, organ, variety concerts, and programs for children.
The Philharmonic, among other founders, has been hosting the I.I. Sollertinsky International Music Festival annually since 1989. The festival aims to promote modern musical art and classics, expand cultural contacts between Belarus and other countries, discover new and revive forgotten names.
Currently, the Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic has a large hall with 424 seats and a small hall with 80 seats. The hall is equipped with unique instruments – a concert grand piano from Steinway & Sons and a brass organ from the German company Glatter - Götz.