Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
By the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated January 28, 2026, Boris Kondin, Head of the Directorate of Cultural Programs and Youth Creativity at SPbPU, was awarded the medal "For Work in Culture and Art."
During Boris Igorevich's 20 years at the Polytechnic University, the university's cultural life has reached a new level. The White Hall is now more than just a local university auditorium, but a city-wide concert venue, featured on the billboards alongside theaters and the philharmonic. The White Hall's repertoire annually includes up to 200 concerts, representing all genres of classical and contemporary music, literary evenings, and theatrical productions. Leading artists and musical groups from St. Petersburg, Russia, and abroad perform on the hall's stage. The hall's annual audience reaches 60,000 spectators.
The Polytechnic University is the only university in Russia where you can listen to organ music. Five years ago, thanks to the efforts of Boris Kondin, a three-manual Johannus organ was installed in the White Hall.
In addition to his regular concert activities, Boris Igorevich has been organizing major cultural and educational events since 2010: this includes a festival of Russian music and poetry that has gained immense popularity among city residents. Pushkin Days at the PolytechnicThe Easter Festival, the "Music in the Glitter of Uniforms" military brass band festival, featured performances by People's and Honored Artists of Russia, including Vasily Lanovoy, Alexander Filippenko, Alla Demidova, Veniamin Smekhov, Avangard Leontyev, Dmitry Dyuzhev, and Vasily Gerello. The Terem Quartet, the Valaam Monastery Choir, and the Alexander Nevsky Men's Choir also performed at the Easter Festival.
The All-Russian festival-competition of student choral groups from technical universities, "Blagovest," organized by Boris Kondin, includes 10 technical universities, including the Ural Federal University, the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, the Stieglitz St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Design, Petrozavodsk State University, the Irkutsk National Research Technical University, and others.
Since 2019, the Polytechnic University, under the leadership of Boris Igorevich, has been hosting two large-scale joint events with the Committee for Science and Higher Education of St. Petersburg: International Festival "Golden Autumn" AndGovernor's New Year's Student Ball, to which 700 of the best students from all higher and secondary educational institutions in the Northern Capital are invited. Both receive extensive media coverage.
Student creativity has also reached unprecedented proportions. Today, the university has 14 active associations, attended by 700 Polytechnic students. Choirs, theaters, vocal, and dance studios are achieving success in professional competitions. At the initiative of Boris Igorevich, the university established the first technical university in Russia in 2014. student pop and symphony orchestra, who today already performs large solo concerts for residents and guests of the city.
"At the very beginning of my work, I found the materials about the music clubs and student orchestra operating under the Polytechnic's first director, Prince Andrei Grigorievich Gagarin, extremely valuable," says Boris Kondin. "Prince Gagarin's unique approach to the development of culture and student creativity was passed on to Rector Andrei Ivanovich Rudskoy, through whom the Polytechnic became a cultural hub."
Nineteen years ago, at the initiative of Boris Kondin, SPbPU introduced "Creative Semesters" for all first-year students. St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is the only university in the country that integrates the development of students' creative abilities into its curriculum, drawing on the best examples of global music, literature, and other arts. This is a unique project not only for Russia but also for global education.
In 2022, Boris Kondin organized a series of musical and dramatic performances in the White Hall. "Russia, don't be afraid, we are with you!" which explored the tragic events in Donbass through the texts of poets from the Great Patriotic War and contemporary poets living in the cities of Donbass.
In 2024, Boris Igorevich developed and implemented the educational project "Polytechnic University—A Territory of High Culture." Banners featuring quotes from great figures of the past and present were installed across the campus, and the university organized courses on the history of Russian culture, art, and literature—not only for students and staff of the Polytechnic University but also for city residents.
In October 2024, a new project was launched at the Polytechnic University on the initiative of Boris Kondin – "Musical Changes".
Do Polytechnicians know that Boris Igorevich is the author of the Polytechnic University anthem? This magnificent piece of music is played today at all official and ceremonial events at the university, and it is performed in concerts by members of choirs and the pop and symphony orchestra.
The Polytechnic University team is proud that Boris Kondin's multifaceted and long-standing work in creating a cultural space at the university and in St. Petersburg has received state recognition. We congratulate him on this achievement!
"It's a great pleasure to receive this prestigious award and share this joy with my small team, who, like me, believe in the value of culture. This award is an incentive to continue what we've started, to explore new forms, to support students' creative initiative, and to strengthen the university's role as a cultural and spiritual center," Boris Kondin shared.
In 2022, Boris Igorevich became the subject of the "Persona" column. Read the interview with Boris Igorevich onon the portal of the newspaper "Polytechnic".
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