Moscow's Channel One, Russia's

largest TV station,recently produced and aired an informative

news segment on the Washington Balalaika Society.

View the video

The WBS Music Academy

Professional instruction for children from 5 to 14 Rental instruments available

Learn more about this unique progam

Welcome to the Web home of the Washington Balalaika Society. Here you will find information about the WBS Orchestra, our Ensembles, our performance schedule and lots more. If you're a musician yourself and live in the Washington area you may be interested in when and where we rehearse, how to join the Society or instruction on the domra, balalaika, bayan or guitar. If you're a lover of fine music, you'll want to know where we'll be appearing this season, who will be performing with us and how you can get tickets to our concerts.

Within these pages you'll also find interesting background on the origins and history of the Russian folk orchestra, descriptions of all of the instruments we play, how to be a member of our Balalaika Guild, how to buy our CDs and a great deal more.

The WBS is a community-based orchestra of more than 60 musicians with a mixture of amateur and professional training. We work hard to earn and maintain our reputation as one of the finest of our genre.

We are also a community of friends. Members thoroughly enjoy the warmth and hospitality of the group and we encourage others of all ages to join in the fun -- after all, as the saying goes, "We don't stop playing because we grow old - we grow old because we stop playing."

We are especially pleased to celebrate our eleventh concert season with our conductor and artistic director, Svetlana Nikonova. Ms. Nikonova is a graduate of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia, and previously worked with the world-renowned Andreyev Balalaika Orchestra there. She is a talented arranger and domra professional as well as an experienced conductor, and we look forward to another outstanding concert season under her leadership.

Whatever your reason for visiting, we're glad you did and hope to have the opportunity to meet you in person. We're always happy to hear from you, and we encourage you to stop by often.

Jan Bohm, President

There are many ways to become involved with WBS

Attend one of our upcoming concerts

Get on our mailing list for upcoming events

Join the WBS as a musician -- stringed, wind or percussion

Join the WBS as a volunteer to help with concerts, publicity, fundraising or

any of another dozen or so things we need to continue to excel at what we do

Take lessons on the balalaika, domra or bayan from one of our professional

instructors

Shop at Amazon.com via our WBS link -- we will receive a donation for each sale.

Enroll your child or grandchild in the WBS Music Academy

Provide needed financial support through a donation to The Balalaika Guild ®

Book one of our ensembles for a party, reception, wedding or other event for that

special Russian touch

Attend one of our rehearsals to see what we're about

Buy a CD and enjoy our music at home or on the road

Just get in touch to let us know you're interested in what we're doing.

Programs presented by The Washington Balalaika Society are supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts; the Alexandria Commission for the Arts; and the Arts Council of Fairfax County, supported by Fairfax County

To learn more about these organizations and their important

role in supporting the arts in Virginia, click on the logos above

Special Friends

The Balalaika and Domra Associaton of America	The House of Musical Traditions Takoma Park, Maryland	Your guide to theatre, dance, music, museums and more!
RussianDC.com ~~ the Russian portal for greater Washington	Russian Chamber Art Society	The Classical Mandolin Society of America