“Named after Shostakovich...”: on the development of a multi-genre arts festival project and its importance in the cultural life of the region

This article is dedicated to a unique phenomenon in the musical culture of the Samara region. The International Shostakovich Arts Festival has become such a phenomenon in recent years. The festival is still very young, but already has a history full of significant artistic events. The festival project brings together engaged audiences at the city's best concert and theater venues. The festival program is updated annually, featuring new composers and performers. Typically, these are leading names in Russian and international musical art. Along with the music of the classic Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich, works by composers of the 20th and 21st centuries are performed. Each year, members of the Samara branch of the Union of Composers of Russia premiere their works at this major international arts forum. The article includes an interview with the author and artistic director of the Shostakovich Festival, Mark Grigorievich Levant, Chairman of the Samara branch of the Union of Composers of Russia. The research methodology utilizes tools of cultural analysis in the field of cultural facility management and a reflexive method for studying the effective, stepbystep extrapolation of high musical culture at the regional and national levels through a dialogue with the initiator of the aforementioned major cultural phenomenon. The article provides an overview of historically significant milestones in the development of the region's musical culture and has practical significance for their coverage and popularization, including within the framework of patriotic education.