From August 5 to 14, 2026, Kalmykia is hosting a large-scale cultural initiative called "Song - the Soul of the People." The project aims to revive interest in folk song traditions, support the region's musical culture, and create opportunities for amateur groups in smaller communities to perform alongside professional artists.
It features 10 concerts and 6 master classes at venues throughout the republic, including Elista, Yashkul, Komsomolsky, Lagan, Iki-Burul, Priyutnoe, Troitskoe, Ketchenery, and Malye Derbety. Performers include international competition laureate Artem Mulaev and Galina Marfina, a candidate of art history and associate professor at the V.S. Popov Academy of Choral Art. Marfina will also lead master classes on contemporary folk singing practices. Participants will receive certificates.
Accompanying the events are 10 traveling exhibitions titled "Holidays of the Peoples of Russia," timed to the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia. These display posters illustrating 30 unusual festivals created by ethnographers and young artists. Exhibitions open one hour before each concert.