The December Nights Music Festival in Moscow is a chamber music festival held each December at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts on Volkhonka Street. It was founded in 1981 by the pianist Sviatoslav Richter and the museum’s director Irina Antonova, and it is the museum’s signature event.
Each year’s concerts are linked to a theme or an exhibition at the museum, so music, painting and poetry are presented together. Since 1998 it has carried Richter’s name, and the conductor and violist Yuri Bashmet has been its artistic director. The dates, the programs and the venues change each year, so check the museum’s official website for the current edition.
Quick Facts
| Russian name | Международный музыкальный фестиваль «Декабрьские вечера Святослава Рихтера» |
|---|---|
| Type | Recurring event |
| When | Every year in December, usually from late November or early December to about the end of the month, with concerts in the evening; the dates, the theme and the venues change each year. |
| Typical duration | About a month, with concerts on selected evenings, usually starting at 19:00. |
| Address | Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, 12 Volkhonka Street, Moscow (ул. Волхонка, 12) OpenStreetMap · Google Maps |
| District | Khamovniki |
| Metro | Kropotkinskaya (Sokolnicheskaya Line (Line 1, red), The nearest station to Volkhonka Street and the museum; the exit and the walking time were not verified) |
| Admission | Concerts are ticketed, with tickets sold by the museum. Prices and categories change each edition and were not verified. |
| Best time to visit | Concerts are held in the evening, usually starting at 19:00, on selected dates in December. Weekends are likely to sell out first. Crowd patterns were not verified. |
| Website | pushkinmuseum.art |
| Last updated | October 7, 2026 |
Dates, programs and prices change from year to year. Always check the official website for the current edition.
Why Visit December Nights Music Festival in Moscow?
The festival offers classical chamber music in the setting of one of Moscow’s great art museums, with programs that echo the exhibitions on view. It has drawn leading Russian and international musicians since 1981, and its rare and demanding chamber programs reflect Richter’s taste.
For a visitor, the appeal is a winter evening of music in a museum hall, next to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the center of Moscow. Concerts are ticketed, programs are in the original musical language and need no Russian, and the schedule changes each year. Dress warmly and book ahead for popular evenings.
What to Expect at December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
The festival runs for about a month in December, with concerts on selected evenings, usually starting at 19:00, in the halls of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, traditionally in the White Hall of the main building. Each edition has a theme, often linked to an exhibition at the museum, and the concerts are accompanied by works of art, poetry and in some years theatrical elements.
The programs feature chamber orchestras, string quartets, vocal ensembles and soloists from Russia and abroad, performing classical and modern repertoire, including rare and demanding works. The audience sits in the museum halls among the exhibits. The program, the artists and the venues change each year.
Highlights of December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
The festival is held at the museum on Volkhonka Street, which houses the largest collection of European art in Moscow and stands opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The main building was designed by Roman Klein with the engineer Vladimir Shukhov and was built between 1898 and 1912. Museum visits need their own ticket. See the Khamovniki and Prechistenka guides on this site, and the How to visit the Tretyakov Gallery guide for another major museum.
Tip: Check whether your concert ticket also gives access to the exhibitions, since this varies.
The concerts of chamber music
The core of the festival is the evening concerts, usually starting at 19:00, with chamber orchestras, quartets, vocal ensembles and soloists performing classical and modern works, including rare compositions. Artists come from Russia and abroad, and the line-up changes each year. The program is published on the museum's website.
Tip: Check the program early, since the most popular evenings sell out.
Music tied to an exhibition
Each edition has a theme tied to an exhibition at the museum, the idea of the founders, so that music and the works on view complete each other. The audience seems to sit in a temple or a palace hall with art around them. The theme changes each year.
Tip: Look at the year's exhibition in the museum before the concert.
The White Hall
Concerts have traditionally been held in the White Hall of the museum's main building, where the audience sits among columns and sculpture casts. The hall's acoustics suit chamber music. The venue can change, particularly in years of building work, so check the ticket for the hall.
Tip: Arrive early to find your seat and to see the hall before the concert.
Richter and the festival's tradition
The pianist Sviatoslav Richter, who lived from 1915 to 1997, was the festival's inspirer and artistic director, and since 1998 it has carried his name, with Yuri Bashmet as artistic director after Richter's death. The festival continues his preference for rare, demanding chamber music and a devoted audience.
Tip: Read the program notes, which often explain the link with the exhibition.
A December evening around Volkhonka Street
The museum is steps from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and not far from the Kremlin, so an evening concert combines well with a walk along Prechistenka and the embankment in the winter lights. See the Orthodox Christmas in Moscow guide and the Journey to Christmas Festival in Moscow guide on this site.
Tip: Plan dinner nearby, since the concert starts at 19:00.
What It Means for Your Visit
The festival is not a public holiday, so the museum, shops and transport work as usual, except that evening concerts add visitors on Volkhonka Street. The effects are local: the museum area is busy before 19:00 on concert nights, with queues at the cloakroom and entrance, and parking in the center is limited.
December in Moscow is cold, so plan for winter clothing, and the museum’s regular opening hours may differ on concert days. Check the museum’s official website for the current dates, venues and tickets, since they change every year.
Atmosphere
On a December evening the pale facade of the museum glows behind snow, and concertgoers in winter coats queue in the cloakroom, stamping their boots. Inside the hall the lights are low, the air is warm and a hush falls as the musicians take their places among the white columns.
The audience is attentive and dressed for an occasion, many of them regulars. Applause is long and quiet between works. The festival fills the museum on selected evenings in December. The crowd varies by night and no figures were verified.
History of December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
The December Nights festival was founded in 1981 at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts by the pianist Sviatoslav Richter and the museum’s director Irina Antonova. Its idea was the unity of culture: a synthesis of music, painting, poetry and drama, with the music of an epoch performed among the works of art of the same period, as if they had returned to their natural setting.
Richter was the inspirer and artistic director of the festival until his death in 1997. In 1998 it took the name December Nights of Sviatoslav Richter, and the conductor and violist Yuri Bashmet became its artistic director. Its concerts have been held in December every year, each with a theme connected to an exhibition at the museum, and its 37th edition was in 2017.
The festival has been known for its high level of performance and for programs of rare and difficult chamber works, attracting leading Russian and international musicians and a devoted audience. Concerts have usually been held in the White Hall of the museum’s main building, and in 2019 to 2023 the museum’s main building was reconstructed, which may have affected venues in those years.
The dates of each edition are announced by the museum, and the festival runs through December, as in earlier editions from the beginning of the month to its end. Whether the current edition follows the same format should be checked on the museum’s website.
Tickets and Booking for December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
The concerts are ticketed, and tickets are sold by the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, on its official website and at its ticket office. The program and the sale of tickets for the festival are normally announced some weeks before December, and the most popular evenings can sell out, so if a date is not yet on sale, the program has not been announced and it is worth checking again later. Seats are usually assigned, and the entrance for concerts is set by the museum, so follow the instructions on the ticket. A concert ticket may not include the exhibitions, so check the ticket description. Prices and categories change each edition and were not verified.
- Payment: foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are reported not to work in Russia, so check the payment options on the museum’s site, and the sanctions rules of your own country may restrict some Russian payment services, so check this yourself.
Rates for Russian citizens and concessions differ, so check the museum’s official website, pushkinmuseum.art, for all ticket categories and the current edition.
Get Tickets for December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
How to Get to December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
The Pushkin Museum is at 12 Volkhonka Street, opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and is reached from Kropotkinskaya (Line 1), the nearest station. The exit and the walking time were not verified. See the Khamovniki guide on this site for the area.
- Metro: the metro guides on this site explain the lines and the last trains.
- Taxi: the taxi apps guide of this site explains the options.
Accessibility
No accessibility information about the concert venues was found. The museum's own website should be checked for access, lifts and seating for wheelchair users, and the museum can be contacted before you go.
Food Nearby
Cafes and restaurants around Volkhonka Street, Prechistenka and Arbat are open in the evening, and the museum has its own cafe. No individual venue was verified for this guide, so check opening hours on site.
What to Bring
Warm winter clothing for the walk and the cloakroom, smart clothes for the concert, your electronic ticket on a charged phone and rubles in cash for the cloakroom or a snack, since foreign cards are reported not to work.
Best Views and Photo Spots of December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
The museum facade on Volkhonka Street in winter
The classical portico and columns of the museum lit against a dark December sky, with snow in front. It marks the setting of the festival.
Best time: Before the concert, after dusk.
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour across the street
The cathedral's golden domes lit at night, seen from the museum steps. It frames the area in the winter lights.
Best time: After dusk.
Prechistenka Street in winter
A quiet street of old mansions with lit windows in the snow, a few minutes' walk from the museum. See the Prechistenka guide on this site.
Best time: Evening.
Photography Rules
Photography and recording during concerts are normally not allowed, and the museum sets rules for photos in the exhibition halls, usually without flash. Follow the signs and the staff's instructions, and do not use drones near the museum.
Family Suitability
The festival suits older children who can sit through a classical concert, and the evening start and the length of programs are limits for young children. Stroller access in the concert halls depends on the museum, and strollers may need to be left at the cloakroom.
Moscow Vibes Tips
- Check the year's exhibition theme, since the concerts are designed around it.
- Book early for evenings with well-known soloists or ensembles.
- Arrive about thirty minutes before the start to use the cloakroom, since December coats take time.
- Plan dinner in Prechistenka or Arbat before the 19:00 start.
- Combine the concert with a daytime visit to the museum, if your ticket allows it, or a walk to Zaryadye Park for the winter lights.
- Check whether the concert venue has changed, since the main building has been under reconstruction in recent years.
Explore Nearby December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
Sights near December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour Moscow – about 300 m away (~5 min walk) · typical visit: 45 minutes to 1.5 hours; about 1 hour 20 minutes for the full guided tourMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Zaryadye Park Moscowabout 1.5 km away (~25 min walk) · typical visit: 1–2 hours; 3 hours with the pavilionsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts Moscowabout 50 m away (~1 min walk) · typical visit: 2–3 hours per buildingMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Pashkov House Moscowabout 350 m away (~6 min walk) · typical visit: About 20 to 30 minutesMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Schusev State Museum of Architecture Moscowabout 600 m away (~10 min walk) · typical visit: About 1.5 to 2 hoursMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Diamond Fund Moscowabout 600 m away (~10 min walk) · typical visit: About 1 hourMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Metro stations near December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
Kropotkinskaya Metro Stationabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Borovitskaya Metro Stationabout 450 m away (~7 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Stationabout 550 m away (~9 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Restaurants and cafes near December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
Elevenabout 600 m away (~10 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Ainaabout 700 m away (~11 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
WA Gardenabout 800 m away (~13 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Krasotaabout 800 m away (~13 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Nightlife near December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
Rhythm & Blues Cafeabout 450 m away (~7 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Rule Taproomabout 500 m away (~8 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Hotels near December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
Russo-Balt Hotel Moscowabout 500 m away (~8 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Bokstel Hostelabout 700 m away (~11 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Nabat Palace Arbatabout 950 m away (~16 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Events and traditions near December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
Orthodox Easter in Moscowabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Orthodox Christmas in Moscowabout 250 m away (~4 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Moscow Summer Fairabout 600 m away (~9 min walk)Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Related guides
Khamovniki: Novodevichy Convent, Prechistenka and the Golden MileMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Prechistenka: Moscow Mansions, Pushkin and Tolstoy MuseumsMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Zamoskvorechye: Pyatnitskaya Street, Ordynka and Old ChurchesMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Arbat: Old Arbat Street, Tsoi Wall and Pushkin’s ApartmentMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Luzhniki MCC Station: Sportivnaya Transfer, Luzhniki Complex AccessMain image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
Browse more: More in Khamovniki · All Entertainment · All Events & Holidays
FAQ: December Nights Music Festival in Moscow
When is the December Nights festival?
In December, usually from late November or early December to the end of the month.
Where is it held?
At the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, 12 Volkhonka Street.
Who founded it?
The pianist Sviatoslav Richter and the museum director Irina Antonova, in 1981.
What kind of music is played?
Classical and modern chamber music, often rare works.
What time do concerts start?
Usually at 19:00.
Do I need a ticket?
Yes, tickets are sold by the museum.
Is a museum visit included?
Check the ticket description, since this varies.
Who is the artistic director?
Yuri Bashmet, since after Richter's death.
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Last updated: October 7, 2026.
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