Logo
  • Main page
  • About the project
  • Programm
  • Media
  • Contacts
English
English
Ru
BRICS Melody
Creating a new cultural code through traditional music
The BRICS Melody is a space of cultural dialogue where music becomes a universal language. 
Our mission is to preserve the authentic sound of cultures, create platforms for creative exchange and position traditional art 
as an urgent force for international humanitarian cooperation.
Project philosophy
In the era of globalization, traditional music remains a living code of cultural identity. The BRICS Melody project 
is based on the belief that folk instruments are not a relic of the past, but an actual language capable of speaking 
to a modern international audience. Our mission is to create bridges of mutual understanding and respect between 
the cultures of the BRICS countries through joint creativity, education and public speaking.
We are creating a space for a live dialogue between musicians
from the BRICS countries.
We are recording the first ever joint album of traditional BRICS music.
We hold grand festivals in three cities of Russia and India, where rare instruments are played on the same stage.
We are organizing a conference of music industry experts.
We organize dozens of master classes for children and young people.
We preserve the cultural code
of our peoples for future generations
A great journey with the BRICS Melody
We believe that a true dialogue of cultures requires time and movement. 
Therefore, our project is a real creative journey through three key points in 2026.
April 2026 - Ulyanovsk. Introduction and creation
This is where it all starts. The participants visit the world's only Balalaika Museum, get acquainted, record the first tracks for the album and conduct master classes for schoolchildren of the Volga region. This is a stage of immersion in the Russian cultural context.
April 2026 - Moscow. Implementation and main event
The heart of the project is beating in the National Center "Russia". The culmination takes place here — a large international festival where musicians from all over the alliance perform together. The program also includes conferences and meetings with young people.
September 2026 - India. Promotion of musical heritage abroad
В год председательства Индии в БРИКС мы везём нашу общую программу и, что важно, нашу культуру. Лекции о музыке и мастер-классы по игре на наших инструментах для индийской молодёжи. Здесь же пройдет презентация музыкального альбома.
Музыканты проекта
Портрет человека
Brazil
Marcos Lamy

Портрет человека
Brazil
Kadu Galvão

Портрет человека
Russia
Ulyanovsk State Orchestra 
of Russian Folk Instruments
Портрет человека
India
Ensemble "Sangam"

Портрет человека
China
Taotao Zhou

Портрет человека
South Africa
Mthwakazi

Портрет человека
South Africa
Ntomb’Yelang

Портрет человека
Indonesia
Ensemble "SANGGITA"

Портрет человека
Iran
Reza Dezaipour

Портрет человека
Egypt
Mohamed Elegimy

Портрет человека
UAE
Saif Alali

© 2025 Company Inc. All rights reserved.
Маркос Лами
музыкант, исследователь и хранитель афро-бразильских традиций, выпустивший четыре авторских альбома. Автор первого научного исследования музыки Тереко, он не просто играет на традиционных инструментах, но и документирует их, передавая знания новым поколениям через свой образовательный проект IEBABA».
Каду Галван
перкуссионист, исследователь и хранитель афро-бразильских традиций штата Мараньян. Участник престижной международной программы Ethno World (Швеция), создатель альбома, документирующего ритуалы праздника «Феста ду Дивину», и режиссер сериала о музыкальном наследии своей земли. 
 «SANGAM» - индийский музыкальный ансамбль
«Sangam» (в переводе с санскрита — «слияние») — это уникальный коллектив, объединяющий инструментальные традиции Севера и Юга Индии. В составе ансамбля пять виртуозов, каждый из которых — яркая звезда в мире традиционной музыки. 
Вместе они создают музыку, где встречаются разные стихии: голос и земля (саранги), резонанс и горы (сантур), дыхание и лес (бансури), соединенные ритмами Севера и Юга.
Marcos Lamy
Marcos Lamy is a Brazilian musician, educator, and researcher dedicated to the music of Brazilian popular culture, especially its rich percussion traditions. He holds degrees in Social Sciences from the Federal University of Maranhão and in Music from Uninter, and is a specialist in Neuropsychopedagogy. Marcos is the author of the first academic study of Terecô music — an Afro-Brazilian religious tradition from his home state of Maranhão — documenting instruments and practices that might otherwise have been lost.
As a musician, Marcos has released four studio albums of original compositions, performed at major Brazilian festivals (BR135, SIM São Paulo, FunMusic Brasil), and is already familiar to Russian audiences — he participated in BRICS Melody 2024. He also founded IEBABA, where children and youth learn to play traditional instruments such as pandeiro, agogô, tamborim, surdo, and others, and he leads the carnival group Bloco Lambi. Marcos Lamy is living proof that tradition does not die when there is someone willing to study it, document it, and pass it on.
Kadu Galvão
Kadu Galvão is a percussionist, composer, researcher, and cultural producer from the state of Maranhão in northeastern Brazil. His work is rooted in the Afro-Brazilian traditions that he carefully preserves and passes on to new generations. Kadu is a member of the Center for Black Culture of Maranhão (CCN) and the Afro bloco Akomabu, and participates in numerous traditional groups: the Turma do Quinto Samba School, Bumba-meu-boi de Maracanã, Boi União da Baixada, and others.

In 2022, Kadu represented Brazil at the prestigious international project Ethno World in Sweden, a program that brings musicians from around the world together to explore folk, traditional, and world music. As an artist-researcher, he created the virtual album “As Caixeiras de Maria Caixeira”, dedicated to the traditional rhythms of the caixa drum from the Festa do Divino Espírito Santo festival. He is now working on the web series “Terra dos Tambores” (“Land of Drums”), an audiovisual project celebrating the musical heritage of Maranhão. Kadu Galvão is a bridge between past and future, between the rhythm of the earth and the contemporary stage.
Taotao Zhou
China is represented at BRICS Melody by a musician in whose hands the ancient guzheng sounds so that hearts stop. Taotao Zhou holds a PhD in Arts Education and is a professor at Sichuan Conservatory of Music, a virtuoso of the guzheng. She is a laureate of the highest Chinese “Wenhua” Award, one of the country’s most prestigious cultural honors, and a Silver Prize winner at the National “Golden Lusheng” Competition.

Taotao Zhou is the author and editor of 30 works for the guzheng and has released 9 solo albums. Her music features in nearly 1,000 soundtracks for films and video games, including a collaboration with Jackie Chan for the 100th anniversary of the Forbidden City. She has performed in Japan, the USA, Australia, Spain, France, and Indonesia, and has been featured on CCTV-15. She brings to Moscow not just an instrument — she brings the soul of China, its thousand-year history frozen in sound.
Reza Dezaipour
Iran is represented at BRICS Melody by a musician who has united two great cultures in his art. Reza Dezaipour was born in Iran, studied in Tehran, and now continues his journey in St. Petersburg. He is one of the finest players of the daf, an ancient instrument whose history spans over five thousand years. His talent has been recognised in the homeland of the daf: Reza is a laureate of the 1st Prize at the World Daf Festival in Kurdistan.

Reza is the author of books on Persian music in three languages. He is the founder of the “Najma” ensemble, which brings together more than a hundred musicians in Iran and St. Petersburg. “I am convinced that Iranian and Russian music complement each other phenomenally, creating a completely new, original sound,” he says. He brings to Moscow not just a rhythm — he brings the soul of Persia, its thousand-year history and rhythms that heal the heart.
Mohamed Elegimy
Egypt is taking part in BRICS Melody for the first time. The country is represented by Mohamed Elegimy, a lecturer at the Arabic Music Department of Helwan University (Cairo) and a PhD in Music Education. He was a solo qanun player at The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025 ceremony in Qatar — a global event watched by millions worldwide.

Mohamed participated in the 13th Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival (Melodies of the Orient) in Uzbekistan, one of Central Asia’s most prestigious traditional music festivals. He has performed in India, China, the UAE, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Jordan, and his music was heard during the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar. He brings to Moscow not just an instrument — he brings the soul of Egypt, the centuries‑old tradition of Arabic classical music.
Sangam Ensemble
The name “Sangam” (Sanskrit for “confluence”) perfectly captures the essence of this unique ensemble, which brings together the instrumental traditions of North and South India. The ensemble consists of five virtuosos, each a shining star in the world of traditional music. Together they create a soundscape where different elements meet: voice and earth (sarangi), resonance and mountains (santoor), breath and forest (bansuri), united by the rhythms of the North (tabla) and the South (mridangam).

Vanraj Shastri (sarangi) – the first sarangi artist to collaborate with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, has lectured at Berklee, Harvard and Columbia University, and opened for Bryan Adams. Ninad Adhikari (santoor) – a fourth‑generation musician, recipient of the National Balshree Honour, scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture of India. Hrishikesh Majumdar (bansuri) – “A” Grade artist of All India Radio, laureate of the CMA CLEF AWARDS. Shantanu Mayee (tabla) – scholarship holder of the NCPA and the Ministry of Culture of India. Ganesh Murali (mridangam) – gained worldwide recognition through his collaboration with Ed Sheeran on the album “Play”.

Their performance in Moscow is a rare opportunity to hear how contemporary India sounds while carefully preserving thousand‑year‑old traditions.
Sanggita Ensemble
Indonesia is represented by the legendary Sanggita ensemble — guardians of the Sundanese musical tradition from West Java. Founded in 1987 by renowned composer Yusuf Wiradiredja, the group has become one of Indonesia’s most respected musical ensembles over nearly 40 years. The ensemble members include Arif Budiman (vocalist, multiple laureate of Tembang Sunda Cianjuran competitions), Rizki Ferry Ramdani (kendang, Grand Prix winner at the Phnom Penh Choir Competition, Interkultur 2023), Ganjar Purnama Wildan (multi‑instrumentalist who has performed at 11 international festivals), and Yusuf Wiradiredja (founder, composer of over 45 works and 30 albums, a maestro with 55 years of experience).

Sanggita’s music is a dialogue between two genres: the refined classical tradition of Tembang Sunda Cianjuran and the vibrant contemporary Pop Sunda. Their performances feature kacapi (zither), suling (bamboo flute), rebab (a bowed instrument considered the “soul” of the Sundanese ensemble), and kendang. “Participating in BRICS Melody is an opportunity to present Tembang Sunda Cianjuran as a living cultural philosophy rather than a historical artifact,” the musicians say.
Saif Al Ali
Emirati singer, composer, and virtuoso oud player. Saif is the official representative of the United Arab Emirates at the international contest “Intervision‑2025” in Moscow. In his work, classical Arabic and Emirati traditions seamlessly blend with contemporary sound. He draws inspiration from the legendary Umm Kulthum and Mohammed Abdel Wahab, carefully reinterpreting their heritage for new audiences.

Saif is not just a musician — he is a true cultural ambassador. This is his second time taking part in the project: he performed at BRICS Melody in 2024. And once again he is coming to Russia to say through music: “Our performance is a message — a message of uniting peoples so that we live in peace and coexist.”
Mthwakazi
Creator of the unique Xhopera genre, which combines classical operatic vocals in isiXhosa with the ancient sounds of African stringed bows. Internationally recognized expert in playing the uHadi, uMrhubhe and uMakhweyane. She has performed with legendary artists: Hugh Masekela, Madosini, Simphiwe Dana, Dizu Plaatjies, and Jonas Gwangwa. She has toured the USA, UK, France, the Netherlands, Thailand, and Ireland, and participated in the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (2009). Bongiwe is a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity program (Nelson Mandela Foundation and Columbia University). She founded the Chosi Chosi Creative Academy, where she teaches rural children agro-musicology — the study of music through its connection to the land.
Ntomb’yelanga
Performer on four traditional instruments: the umakhweyana (musical bow), storotoro (mouth harp), mtshingo (whistle), and ngungu (drum). Researcher and educator currently completing her Honours degree in African and Community Music at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg). For her, preserving traditions does not mean keeping them frozen in the past — it means allowing them to live, breathe, and speak to the present while honouring the wisdom of ancestors. Her music is storytelling — a dialogue that continues.
Ulyanovsk State Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments
Russia is represented by an ensemble whose artistry is known throughout the country. The Ulyanovsk State Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments is one of Russia’s leading professional ensembles, a flagship in preserving the traditions of folk music in the Volga region. Its ranks include musicians of the highest caliber — laureates of all‑Russian and international competitions. On stage, dozens of unique instruments come to life: balalaikas (from prima to contrabass), domras (small, alto and bass), bayans, an electric bayan, keyboard gusli, a flute, and a full percussion section.

The orchestra plays a key role in two Russia‑themed segments. The Prologue “Russia’s Cultural Heritage” will set the tone for the evening, and the special block “Year of the Peoples of Russia” will reflect the diversity of our country’s musical traditions. However, the orchestra’s role extends beyond these segments: it will serve as the unifying musical foundation for the performances of virtuosos from 8 other countries. Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Artem Belov, a member of the Composers’ Union of Russia and one of the top three conductors of Russian folk instrument orchestras in the country, has written unique arrangements for this evening. Under his baton, the main premiere will be born — an original composition, “The BRICS People’s Orchestra,” bringing together all the festival’s participants.