The message reads, in part:
“Yelena Gnesina was a person endowed with a brilliant, generous talent and inexhaustible creative energy. An outstanding pianist, distinguished teacher and public figure, she saw her calling in serving the Russian culture and in supporting and mentoring gifted young people, and she did much to create a unique system of professional music education in our country.
It is gratifying that cultural and art figures, teachers, graduates and students of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music and other related educational institutions, those that cherish and promote the noble traditions of selfless devotion to the cause and enrich them with new relevant projects and initiatives, have assembled today at the Zaryadye Concert Hall here in Moscow.
I am confident that the festival will be held in a special, inspired atmosphere, become a major event in a series of festive occasions dedicated to the memory of Yelena Gnesina, and facilitate conservation of her rich creative heritage.”