The 2011 Russian Federation National Award for outstanding achievements in humanitarian work is conferred to Vladimir Spivakov, president of the Moscow International House of Music.
Vladimir Spivakov (born 1944), artistic director and chief conductor of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and the Moscow Virtuosi State Chamber Orchestra, founder and president of the Moscow International House of Music, National Artist of the USSR (1990), laureate of the USSR National Award (1989), laureate of many prestigious international competitions.
Mr Spivakov is the founder and artistic director of the Colmar International Festival in France.
Mr Spivakov is very active in philanthropic work. In 1994, he founded the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation. He initiated and has been directly involved in providing targeted assistance to more than 10,000 gifted children and has organised more than 1,000 exhibitions of young artists. More than 2,000 people have received grants from his Foundation, giving more than 100 of them the chance to study in the best schools and universities in Russia and abroad, and 479 participants in the Foundation’s programmes have won prizes in international competitions and festivals. The Foundation has made money available for medical treatment for more than 200 people and has given 472 musical instruments to talented performers. The Foundation is one of the founders of the Volga Region Youth Symphony Orchestra.
The Foundation has opened offices and branches in many Russian cities, in neighbouring countries and in countries further abroad. This has contributed to the success of the Foundation’s biggest project – the international festival, Moscow Meets Friends. Since it began in 2004, more than 18,000 talented children from 300 towns around Russia, the CIS countries, the Baltic countries and further abroad have taken part in the festival’s events.