Sergey Starostin is both musician and researcher, who dedicated his life to the ancient folk music of Russia. He is well known abroad, due to his collaboration with Moscow Art Trio, Huun Hur Tu, Inna Zhelannaya, Norwegian Mari Boine, Bulgarian Angelite Choir, and many others. In Russia, he was a member of famous new wave band Alyans. As a sideman, he appears on more than 40 albums. He also made educational programmes for TV, “World Village” (as the director), and “Wanderings of a Musician” (as the presenter). 

As a child Sergey Starostin sang in famous Moscow Boys Choir. When he was 15 he started studying wind instruments at the Moscow Conservatory. When he was a first year student, he happen to take part in a folklore expedition. It was that journey that made him an avid fan of the root music of Russian people. He has been collecting forgotten Russian songs ever since, as well as music instruments. Now Starostin has a great collection of instruments, that includes not only well known gusli or shepherd’s horn, but also real rarities: kugikly, prosvirelka, and byerbyen’, among many others. It should be noticed that Starostin know how to repair or even build many of those instruments! And on September 28th he’ll show and play them.