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Later, following the meeting of the Talent and Success Foundation Board of Trustees, the President viewed information stands about the Sirius Secondary Special Music School. Head of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation Yelena Shmeleva gave him a tour around.

The Sirius Secondary Special Music School for students from form 1 to form 11 opened on September 1, 2024. It has become the twelfth institution among secondary special music schools that provide students with both musical and secondary education. Upon completion of studies, graduates may enrol in higher musical educational institutions of the country.

The building, erected on the coastline, houses over 60 academic and music classrooms, alongside dressing rooms, an audio library, a sound recording studio, and a concert hall. Up to 250 young musicians can study here simultaneously. Instruction is conducted in three specialised fields: piano, orchestral string instruments, and orchestral wind and percussion instruments. At all stages of education, significant attention is devoted to regular concert practice, the establishment of a creative environment, and collaboration with the nation’s leading musicians.

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Mikhail Pirozhenko: Hello, Mr President. My name is Mikhail Pirozhenko. I am 15 years old and have come from St Petersburg.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Me too.

Mikhail Pirozhenko: I am a pianist, as is my entire family. I learned about Sirius from my elder brother: I have already been here twice and would love to come here for a third time this year. What I have always enjoyed here is the opportunity to interact not only with musicians like me but also with peers from other disciplines.

It is very interesting why Sirius specifically focuses on these three fields – sports, science, and the arts. How did the idea of creating Sirius originate? Was there something that inspired you? Perhaps, places similar to this?

Vladimir Putin: No. It was far more pragmatic: after the Olympic Games concluded, the question arose of what to do with the facilities and how to utilise them. There were many proposals, but ultimately, the idea emerged from the Soviet Union’s – and later Russia’s – tradition of prioritising specialised training for young talents from an early age. These include specialised physics and mathematics schools, chemistry schools, and later biology schools. This is where the concept began – gathering children from across the country here for a set period, then we decided it would be for just over 20 days – 21 days, right?

Head of the Talent and Success Educational Foundation Yelena Shmeleva: 24.

Vladimir Putin: Then I thought: why limit this to the sciences? We have specialised music schools affiliated with conservatoires and world-class – perhaps even surpassing world-class – dance schools training ballet artists. Thus, from the very beginning, we expanded Sirius’ scope of activities. That is how it came about, organically.

I have spoken before about how the name came to be. I simply asked my team: What is the brightest star in the sky? They said, “Sirius.” Since this place was meant for talented young people, children and teenagers, the name felt natural: Sirius.

What we see here today and what I am about to visit, is a continuation of that original idea, evolution of the Sirius concept: the creation of this school and the nearby concert hall. I believe both have been built to meet the highest global standards, and perhaps even exceed them in some respects.

This was the very idea behind preserving the Olympic legacy: it should serve the country and its people in the best way possible. I believe that goal has been fully achieved. But we must progress and continue developing Sirius. The opening of this music school, where we are now, is a significant step in that direction.

I hope everything will work out well for you here, that you will enjoy your time, and that this place will help you unlock and develop your talents. The environment is excellent, the teachers are outstanding, and I also hope so is the acoustics: it was Toyota that worked on that as well. As [Artistic director of the St Petersburg House of Music, Chairman of the Board of the Talent and Success Foundation] Sergei Roldugin keeps saying, sound in a space like this is as important as a musical instrument itself. He keeps telling me what other important things I can say about this place. The sound in the hall is like a musical instrument. It must resonate with the performances here. I believe that will be the case, just as in the concert hall. We are going to visit the concert hall, aren’t we?

Yelena Shmeleva: Not this time, but it’s almost ready. We are officially inviting you to its grand opening in October. We’re looking forward to it.

Vladimir Putin: It is beautiful on the outside. I hope the inside will fully meet the tasks and goals we have set.

Yelena Shmeleva: If I may say, musicians are our priority. This is a music school, though students in all disciplines are gathered here.

So, fellow musicians, who else wanted to ask a question?

Vladimir Putin: Please, go ahead.

Yelena Shmeleva: Dasha Malakhova, please.

Darya Malakhova: Good afternoon, Mr President. My name is Darya Malakhova. I am 16, and I am from Arkhangelsk. This is the second time I have come to the Music and Performing Arts section at Sirius.

I have been drawn to the arts and surrounded by music since I was a child. I went to a music school at three and to an arts school at six. I continue to develop in this direction, and Sirius has certainly been a great help in this.

I would like to ask you the following, since I know that you practised on the piano and learned to play as a child: Do you have time to play the piano now if you have the opportunity to do so? What role does music play in your everyday life despite your busy schedule? Do you think that music is really important, and how has it influenced your development as an individual?

Vladimir Putin: To begin with, unfortunately, I never played the piano, which I regret because music truly enriches your life. Music and painting, if they become part of our lives in childhood, help shape your personality, world outlook, and your attitude towards the world and yourself. Music is harmony, and harmony, if you found it, is what makes every human being happy.

You know, I lived in a very simple family that was not connected with music or art in any way. It was a worker’s family.

However, I started attending concerts and going to the philharmonic when I was in high school. There are many places in St Petersburg where you can listen to good music. Gradually, I started doing that more and more often. Having an appreciation for the arts and music, understanding it and tuning yourself to it is an art in itself. It happens at the level of the unconscious; it is not something very rational, maybe even not rational at all.

However, the ability to enjoy what you see and hear, that is, painting and music, must be part of education. I did not have the kind of education you are receiving, including a music school and so on. But St Petersburg offered an opportunity [to learn to love music and the arts], and thankfully, I took advantage of it. Gradually, I [learned to love it]. Later, I became friends with Sergei Roldugin, who invited me to various events, such as concerts and the like, and then I started going to concerts on my own.

I believe that this appreciation of music, ballet and painting very gradually helped me develop what I have always relied on later in life, supporting me and helping me formulate an attitude towards events and people. I believe that this is an extremely important element of education for everyone. We will support this in every way, just as we are doing it here and now.

Darya Malakhova: Thank you for your answer.

Anna Tsukanova: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Anna Tsukanova. I am 17, and I have come from Barnaul. I study at the Music and Performing Arts section.

I have been playing the piano for 12 years, and my ambition is to become a professional musician. I understand that this takes a great deal of hard work and improvement, and Sirius is a great help in this. This is my fourth and last time here, and every time I get an extremely powerful boost in my professional advancement, as well as energy and inspiration.

However, I also understand that a musician needs not only professional skills but also personal qualities. One of these is probably the ability to take the lead, to conduct an orchestra and to play as part of a team.

I believe that you, as president, have outstanding leadership qualities. I would like to ask you if there are methods for developing them. Do you think that people are born leaders, or can leadership qualities be developed while growing up and acquiring experience? Did you specifically develop these qualities, or have you always had them? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: It is difficult to say if this is a born quality or not. That is for the geneticists to determine. But I think that it is a talent which you can inherit. But some qualities do not blossom without hard work and effort, even when you have a natural talent, like Mozart did. We know what happened in his family, where he was virtually tortured with music lessons. There are many other examples of this kind, when children fainted or even when mothers thought that their children had died, but they came to and continued with their music lessons. This incredible diligence is part of success, even for very talented people or even geniuses.

So, how can we determine what is important – diligence and self-improvement or inherited qualities? It probably takes both to achieve the highest results and maximum effect. It does take hard work, of course, and it cannot be any other way. Success is not a blessing but something you must strive for.

Vera Chichilenko: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

Vera Chichilenko: I am a sixth-form student at the Sirius Special Secondary Music School. My name is Vera Chichilenko, and I am 13 years old.

As a child, I loved flying on aeroplanes and dreamt of becoming a flight attendant. However, sports then came into my life, and I aspired to become a master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics. At the age of seven, I enrolled in a music school to study the cello, and now my dream is to become a professional musician.

What did you dream of as a child when you were five, ten, or 15 years old? And what do you dream of now?

Vladimir Putin: At five or ten years old – what I was passionate about, what I dreamt of: I do not want to invent anything for you now; it is rather difficult for me to recall what it was at five, just vaguely. Yet, oddly enough, I do remember certain things. What did I dream of? Everything depends on circumstances, on our level of development, our perception of the world around us, and the people who surround us. It is from there – from art, incidentally, from music, from the opportunity to visit museums – that images emerge, certain goals take shape, and preferences form.

The more positive external influence there is, the brighter and more concrete our plans and dreams become. I surely had my own. But as I grew older and chose a profession, things unfolded differently – I have spoken about this many times. Boys often make such choices: at one point, I wanted to be a pilot, then a sailor – heroic professions like that.

But gradually, gradually, I developed as a person. I was, of course, deeply drawn to how people act, how they live when dedicating their lives to their country. That is where the desire to work in foreign intelligence came from, and then, step by step, it led to what I do today.

I very much hope that your life, and the lives of your peers, will unfold in the same way – that in the end, you will choose a vocation to which you are ready to dedicate your life. Then life will be interesting, and you will achieve the greatest possible results in the field to which you devote your life.

Pyotr Bregadze: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Pyotr Bregadze. I am 12. I play the flute and I study at this special secondary music school. I came here last year, and I live here without my parents. I miss them, of course, and talk to them every day.

What did your family mean to you when you were a schoolboy? Were there events in your childhood that were connected with your parents and that you never forgot? Can you tell us about them, if you don’t mind my asking?

Vladimir Putin: I have spoken about that on many occasions, and frankly, I would not like to repeat myself. But it is true that I remember some events that happened when I was about your age or a little older, as if they happened just now.

You know, the most important and interesting thing for me, which probably influenced my personality and development as a human being, is that my parents always – I would like to stress this – opted for what was best for me when they discussed everyday matters or issues related to my future.

I remember it to this day, and I am extremely grateful to my parents for their attitude towards me and for their love. That is how love is expressed; love is not only cuddling, hugs and kisses, although they are important too.

Overall, I saw that even when I was thinking about where to study, which university to enrol at and so on, my parents wanted something that was simpler to achieve, considering that I engaged in sports and some universities were ready to admit me practically without entrance exams. My coach encouraged them to make that decision, for my own good, and this would have been simpler for me. But I made my own choice, which seemed quite difficult at that time. I remember very well that when my parents saw that it was my choice, they accepted it respectfully and after that never interfered in any way. On the contrary, they did their best to support me.

And it has always been like that, with regard to all issues. They always supported my choices. I will never forget that, and I will always be grateful to them for it.

Asel Kuzbekova: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Asel Kuzbekova. I am 12 years old, a sixth-form student at this special secondary music school, and I play the violin. My most cherished wish is to play the violin as well as my favourite violinist, Pavel Milyukov.

If you caught the golden fish, what wish would you make?

Vladimir Putin: Out of ecological considerations, I would simply release the fish back into the wild and not burden it with fulfilling my wishes. I would strive to formulate my own goals and work to achieve them.

Is that all? Perhaps the children could play something now?

Yelena Shmeleva: Yes, but I believe we still have some questions.

Daniil Sakharov: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Daniil Sakharov, and I have come from Yekaterinburg. I am 17 years old. In my hometown, I am completing my second year at the Sverdlovsk Art College.

Since childhood, I have been drawn to nature and everything it creates in this world. In the future, I would like to become an artist who shows people their true, authentic essence – something innate that cannot be taken away from any person. I believe this could improve the lives and worldviews of future generations. For me, as for all aspiring artists, it is important that our work resonates with the viewer’s soul and conveys ideas that could help improve the lives and perspectives of future generations.

And so my question to you, Mr President: In your opinion, what values should contemporary artists convey? What qualities must a modern artist possess to ensure society hears them? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: There is one biblical value that stands above all: the most important thing is love. Love for what you do, love for the world around you, and love for the people who surround you.

I do not know – you would understand this better, as you are a future professional artist, as I gather. Therefore, you should already feel what drives you and what you wish to convey to your audience. This is extremely important. After all, it is not just about depicting something beautifully – though that matters – but about conveying to people your perspective on what you portray: nature, humanity, or anything else.

Even photography, incidentally, is a form of creativity, yet it captures something real, an actual subject. An artist, however, seeks above all to communicate their own vision to the viewer, to another person. What matters is not so much the subject being depicted but the attitude of the person portraying it – whether it is nature or even a still life. This, too, reflects the artist’s relationship with their work. The artist themselves, their worldview, is what is important. That, I believe, is the essence – and it is not easy to achieve, as I understand.

It is important to have the talent to depict, but even more crucial is the ability to convey – to be capable of communicating to the viewer your own perspective on what you portray. That is the most important, the most challenging, and the most precious thing.

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