The Classika center and its fund The World of Art specialize in bringing disabled children and music together, bringing joy into their lives and encouraging them to develop musically. Vladislav Teterin is the charity’s founder and president. He told The Leader about the charity and his week at work.

My background and the creation of Classika

In 1981 I graduated as a pianist from the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. I played in several countries around the world: Japan, America, Australia and around almost all of Europe. In 1990 I organized the first independent concert agency for work with outstanding musicians, the Classika center.

In fall of 1995 while touring in Japan I took part in a charity concert for Japanese child invalids. The reaction of children with limited possibilities for health stunned me to the depths of my soul: I understood that they are not any less talented and are full of energy.

At that point I had the idea of a charity program, where, in contrast to traditional methods of helping child invalids, such as, for example, charity concerts for children and children’s charity funds, the children and the artists would perform together on one stage.

On returning to Russia, we looked at information collected by the UN (and especially UNESCO) since 1975. Having seriously looked into the matter, at the beginning of 1997 the Classika center founded the non-commercial fund The World of Art, especially for the realization of the programs Stars of the World — for Children, created to unite great artists with children with limited health.

About The World of Art:

The foundation raises money through donations and also by holding annual charity concerts, the first of which, Stars of the World — for Children, took place in 1997 with Montserrat Caballe performing with musically gifted disabled children from around the world.

Our main aim is to help child invalids to be reintegrated into society, to help them feel needed. That is why all these people, having seen our years of work, trust us and help us. We are very grateful to them and we feel that our charity is the only organization that so many large Russian and foreign companies help.

My diary

My timetable of meetings usually forms of its own accord. As a rule, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I already know my plans for the following week.

The working week I describe is a normal one, but it is not representative of a week in the time period prior to the annual, grandiose charity concert Stars of the World — for Children.

May 21, Monday

The week begins at the Kremlin with a meeting with a representative of the Presidential Administration. We discuss organization of Stars of the World — for Children concerts for 2001-2003.

Then there’s a meeting with the president of the Moscow Oil Club, Togrul Bagirov, an active supporter of our charity activities. Companies donate money to us because they understand the importance of the fact that famous artists can perform with sick children.

Back at the office, I call UNESCO in Paris, which is where their head office is. Our Stars of the World concerts are held under the aegis of UNESCO and we’ve been in discussion with them about finding talented children with disabilities in the 188 countries where UNESCO is represented. For the past five years I have been working with mostly Russian kids taking part in concerts in Russia, but now we are organizing finding children from all around the world to take part.

May 22, Tuesday

Negotiations with First Deputy General Financial and Commercial Director of Aeroflot, Alexander Zurabov, who is chairman of the Mir Iskusstvo board of trustees. We want Aeroflot to participate in Stars of the World concerts and we reached an agreement on this for the next three years.

Aeroflot has agreed to coordinate the transport of kids from around the world for the events. They will be donating two planes a year to transport kids and will also be in charge of coordinating the cooperation of other airlines. I am a pianist and it is better, after all, that professionals in logistics organize the transportation of artists!

May 23, Wednesday

Had a meeting with A. Zakharov, the general director of the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MMVB). MMVB was general sponsor of our last two Stars of the World concerts. We discussed projects for this year.

Today we got a schedule of Italian opera singer Cecilia Bartoli’s tour program until summer 2002 from Universal. It turned out there was a two-week break in the program and we proposed to Bartoli’s impresario that Bartoli make a second visit to Russia and perform in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

At four o’clock Rita Petrova came to our offices to rehearse with me. I have been working with her for two years now — she is now 14. She is a blind singer and I play the piano while she rehearses.

Rita studies at a special school and then studies singing at a separate music school. We have teachers who teach her how to move on stage. This is especially important with blind children — they can make their way around their own homes, but a stage is another thing all together.

Disabled children can’t just be dumped after a concert in the way that other musicians might be, because it means so much to them. They have nothing but their talent. My job is to teach invalid children a profession — a way for them to earn money when they grow up.

May 24, Thursday

Held talks with Russian national TV company ORT and the BBC about obtaining video material from the film “Cecilia Bartoli Live in Italy” from the BBC for a Russian film about Bartoli’s first visit to Russia. We filmed her arrival in Russia on her first visit and she is planning to do a concert in Siberia with our disabled children. We hope that the BBC will do a film using footage from both these occasions.

Ongoing talks with French company Danone about a charity concert to be held in November in Paris. Montserrat Caballe will perform at the concert with disabled children.

May 25, Friday

Today, a concert took place in Vienna organized by Classika where Anton Sorokov played the violin and my daughter Maria played the piano. They have been studying together for six years.

Worked on a tour planned for December by Anton Sorokov, Maria and French cellist Henri Demarquette, who will perform with Lithuanian conductor Saulus Sondeckis and leading national orchestras in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.

The workweek ends with watching videos and listening to recordings of performances by new potential child-invalid participants in our program. I invite the most talented children to Moscow. Professors at the Moscow State Conservatory will then work intensively with them over a period of 10 days prior to concerts.

It was all in all a successful week!