31st Ivan Sollertinsky festival of classical music opened in Vitebsk. The music forum annually brings together prominent composers and performers. An exhibition of works by Vitebsk students-designers and a concert of Russian string quartet "Academy of Chamber Music" were timed to the opening of the festival. On the closing day - December 18 – the first concert for piano and orchestra by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and the last symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich will be performed in Vitebsk by the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Belarus.