The Saint Petersburg Jazz Orchestra led by Sergey Bogdanov

The Saint Petersburg Jazz Orchestra, led by the distinguished educator, conductor, and arranger Sergey Bogdanov, is one of Russia’s premier big bands and a resident ensemble at the Igor Butman Jazz Club in Saint Petersburg. Established in the spring of 2025, this professional orchestra unites gifted, ambitious, and established young musicians, each a prominent figure in the city’s vibrant jazz scene.

The orchestra’s repertoire is a masterful blend of big band classics and contemporary original scores. Their library includes not only recognized masterpieces of orchestral jazz but also exclusive compositions written specifically for the ensemble.

Sergey Bogdanov is widely regarded as one of Russia’s finest jazz arrangers. His orchestrations are performed far beyond his native Saint Petersburg, reaching as far as the global jazz capital of New York. A protégé of the legendary educator Gennady Golstein, Sergey emerged as a force in the jazz world immediately upon graduating from the Mussorgsky College of Music in 2007.

His career is marked by exceptional versatility and leadership:

• Orchestral Leadership: He founded the Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra at the State Jazz Philharmonic Hall and previously led the orchestral class at the Mussorgsky College, where he served as Head of the Jazz Department.
• Collaborations: He has worked with a stellar array of Russian, European, and New York-based jazz icons, including Igor Butman, David Goloshchekin, Steve Grossman, Valery Ponomarev, Jason Brown, Ilya Lushtak, Mats Holmquist, and Jean-Loup Longnon.
• Cross-Genre Projects: His musical interests extend into rock and theater. He performed with Boris Grebenshchikov’s legendary band Akvarium (2011–2013), collaborated with theater director Viktor Kramer, and composed the score for the play The Wanderers at the Lensoviet Theatre. He also served as the arranger and musical director for the popular retro-orchestra Proletarian Tango.

Currently, Sergey Bogdanov serves as the Artistic Director of the Igor Butman Jazz Clubs in both Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

The Saint Petersburg Jazz Orchestra is more than a musical group; it is an artistic platform that holds a significant place in the city’s cultural architecture. With its stellar lineup, uncompromising performance standards, and the powerful, rich sound of a full big band, the orchestra stands as a project of profound artistic vision that demands the attention of every jazz enthusiast.