The Holiday Gala Concert of the Stradivari Ensemble is a rare opportunity to hear the sound of violins and cellos by great Italian masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. Under the direction of Lorenzo Nasturika-Gershovich, the ensemble will perform for International Women's Day alongside soloists from the opera and ballet, with the program to be announced later. In early March, the Stradivari Ensemble of the Mariinsky Theatre celebrates International Women's Day with music that emphasizes the timbre and character of rare instruments. The ensemble plays string instruments created by Nicolò Amati, Antonio Stradivari, Giuseppe Guarneri, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, and Matteo Goffriller. Each has its own biography: changes of ownership, travels, saved stories, traces of time in the wood and lacquer. The ensemble was founded in 2009 at the initiative of Valery Gergiev and has grown into a large group of leading soloists from the theatre's symphony orchestra. Since 2013, the conductor and soloist has been violinist Lorenzo Nasturika-Gershovich. The ensemble typically transitions freely from Baroque and Viennese classics to 20th-century music and elegant pages of the "light" genre - showcasing the sound palette of each instrument. This time, soloists from the opera and ballet will join the string core: the stage will become slightly more theatrical, and the musical numbers will be more contrasting. The exact program will be published later, so the concert will especially appeal to those who love surprises and trust the taste of the artists. It is a good choice for a family outing, as a gift for a loved one, and for those who want to hear academic music in its most beautiful "timbre" dimension. We share on our website where to go with children in St. Petersburg.