Comprised of some of Russia’s finest young string players, the Russian String Orchestra has carved a niche for itself under the creative baton of its founder and music director Misha Rachlevsky. About half of nearly 2,000 concerts the orchestra has performed to date have taken place in Moscow. The rest were played on tours in 25 countries in North and South America, Europe and the Far East.

The orchestra performs with Russian-American cellist Nina Kotova, internationally recognized as one of the outstanding instrumentalists of her generation. Kotova has performed in Red Square in Moscow, for the Imperial family of Japan and at Buckingham Palace.

The concert kicks off the 22^nd season of the Russell Hill Rogers Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral presented by Musical Bridges Around the World. The opening concert will be dedicated to Lila Cockrell, San Antonio’s first female mayor, who passed away Aug. 29. Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral merge the historic architecture of the nation's oldest continuously operating Catholic sanctuary with enchanting music of some of the finest, award-winning artists from around the globe.