Classical music fans and Russophiles alike rejoice: the Russian National Orchestra will stop at Penn State on March 3 as part of the orchestra’s 25-year anniversary tour. Student tickets are on sale online and cost $22, while tickets for non-students cost anywhere from $47 for those under 18 to $57 for adults.

The orchestra’s performance includes the prelude to the suite “From the Middle Ages” and a rendition of Sergei Prokofiev’s suite from “Romeo and Juliet.” Kirill Karabits will conduct the band, which features violin soloist Stefan Jackiw, a Massachusetts-born performer who has played with numerous orchestras across the country and had the honor of playing Carnegie Hall last year. He has garnered high praise for his performance too, as the Toronto’s Globe and Mail said his performances are “as pure and close to perfection as music can get.”

Current Orchestra Artistic Director Mikhail Pletnev founded the Russian National Orchestra in 1990 looking to create an orchestra free of government influence, and did so by collecting donations from outside sources such as corporations, foundations, and individual donors. The group has come a long way since then, and its achievements include a Grammy award in 2004, making the orchestra the first Russian group to win one.

For those interested in getting a better understanding of the orchestra, and learning more about it, a discussion with some of the artists called “Artistic Viewpoints” will take place one hour prior to the show for all ticket holders. Seats for the discussion are available on a first-arrival basis and seats are not guaranteed, so those interested should show up early.