Russia The Red Army Choir

he Red Army Choir (Choir Aleksandrov) is a performing ensemble that served as the official army choir of the former Soviet Union’s Red Army. The choir consists of a male choir, an orchestra, and a dance ensemble. The songs they perform range from Russian folk tunes to Church hymns, operatic arias and popular music; examples include “Katyusha”, Kalinka , “Kernina” and “Ave Maria”. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Red Army Choir has continued performing, entertaining audiences both inside and outside Russia.

The Red Army Choir was formed out of Moscow’s Central Army Club in 1928. Under the name Red Army Song Ensemble, twelve soldier-performers – a vocal octet, a bayan player, 2 dancers, and a reciter – officially performed for the first time on October 12, 1928, at the Frunze Club under the direction of their conductor, Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov, a young music professor at the Moscow Conservatory. During World War II, the choir gave over 1500 performances at both soviet fronts, entertaining troops about to go to into battle, at gun emplacements, airfields, and in hospitals.