On May 24, 2026, a festive concert dedicated to the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture and the memory of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius took place in the Cathedral Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia attended the event. Among the guests of honor were Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, representatives of government authorities, foreign diplomatic missions, traditional faiths of Russia, cultural and artistic figures.
The concert was organized by the Government of the Russian Federation, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Government of Moscow and Rosconcert.
The festive program was opened by a combined choir, which united the Academic Large Choir "Masters of Choral Singing", the State Academic Choral Chapel named after A.A. Yurlov and the State Academic Russian Choir named after A.V. Sveshnikov. Under the direction of People's Artist of Russia Lev Kontorovich, the choir performed a troparion to Saints Cyril and Methodius.
Addressing the participants and guests of the concert, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill emphasized the special importance of the holiday, which in modern Russia has become not only a church event, but also a state and social event. According to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture reminds of spiritual and historical continuity, the connection of generations, as well as the importance of national identity and cultural sovereignty.
"May our spiritual and cultural sovereignty be strengthened through the prayers of the Holy Equal—to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, and our national identity grow and strengthen," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said.
The concert was attended by the Tchaikovsky State Academic Grand Symphony Orchestra, the Pyatnitsky State Academic Russian Folk Choir, the Bells of Russia Ensemble, the Fortissimo vocal ensemble from Bulgaria, the choir of students of the Belarusian State Academy of Music, the Aurora Children's Choir, as well as famous soloists Ildar Abdrazakov, Hibla Gerzmava and Igor Morozov.
The program includes spiritual chants, works of Russian classics, folk songs of Russia, Bulgaria and Belarus. The works of M. Glinka, N. Rimsky-Korsakov, V. Kalinnikov, Russian and Slavic folk songs, as well as compositions dedicated to the theme of Homeland, memory and spiritual unity were performed.
The festive concert ended with the performance of the stichera "The Russian Land" and the song "The Land is the Homeland of Love" to the music of Muslim Magomayev and poems by Nikolai Dobronravov.