Russian Red Army Choir comes to Turkey

ISTANBUL

Russian Alexandrov Red Army Choir will on April 7 perform its first concert abroad in Turkey since the tragic plane crash in December 2016 that killed dozens of choir members. 

According to a Russian Culture Ministry statement, the choir will sing for city officials on April 7 in Istanbul, while a second concert on April 8 will be open to the public. 

On Dec. 25, 2016, a Russian military plane crashed on its way to Syria, killing all 92 people onboard, including dozens of Red Army Choir members heading to celebrate the New Year with troops.

The plane went down in the Black Sea shortly after taking off from the southern Russian city of Adler, where it had been refueling.

Among the plane’s 84 passengers were Russian servicemen as well as 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the army’s official musical group also known as the Red Army Choir, and its conductor Valery Khalilov.