Russian Heritage

Russian Heritage This organization established In 1995 serves to promote Russian culture, art and history in the United States

The year 1995 was a banner year for Russian culture in the Tampa Bay area. A blockbuster exhibit known as “Treasures of the Czars” came to the Florida International Museum from the Museums of the Kremlin in Moscow, and the entire area began to find ways to connect with the theme of Russia and its cultural past. The Fine Arts Museum had a special exhibit on Russian art; the History Museum featured

a temporary exhibit devoted to Peter Demens; and Eckerd College and USF had a special course offered on Russia, built around a public lecture series that brought world renown scholars to the campuses, including Suzanne Massie, Nicholas Riasanovsky, Richard Pipes, George Gibian, and poets like Joseph Brodsky and Yevgeny Yevtushenko. The public schools developed units of study on Russia, arranged field trips to the Museum, and in some cases facilitated contacts with students in Russia. It was an exciting time for people who had a strong interest in Russia! It was at this time that Russian Heritage was formed, under the leadership of Vera Espinola Berry, the first president. Scholars, artists, and many with a strong interest in Russia and Russian culture were attracted to this new organization. For a more complete look at the history of Russian Heritage, look under "History" and "Archive". History:

During the summer of 1995, after the Exhibit closed, a number of local residents, some of Russian background, and some who simply had a genuine interest in Russia and Russian culture, met to discuss ways to continue the momentum begun by the excitement of the exhibit. The result was the founding of cultural, educational, and philanthropic organization named Russian Heritage. According to our Articles of Incorporation, “The purpose of Russian Heritage is to preserve and promote Russian heritage, history, and culture, and to educate the general public through such activities as, but not limited to, social events, films festivals, artistic venues, and educational programs.” We are a non-profit organization that raises funds to support educational and cultural programs. After about five years our membership had grown to over 100 members. In an analysis of our membership statistics, it became clear that about 55% of our members were of Russian background, and that about half of the people in that group had been born in the former Soviet Union, and about half were born to Russian emigrants in Europe, Asia, or America. Almost half of our members were not of Russian background, but many had visited Russia or studied the Russian language. At least 12 couples in the group at that time were marriages with one spouse Russian and one non-Russian spouse, in most cases Americans. In recent years our membership has been well over 200, and the breakdown of membership categories seems to be about the same as before. A look at our archives of programs for the first fifteen years will show that we have sponsored a number of programs that feature Peter Demens and the relationship between the two St. Petersburgs; that have facilitated the exchange of Russian and American students; that have brought recent and classic Russian films to the Tampa Bay audience; and that have provided concerts and other cultural activities for members and the general public. You can see the specific programs listed by years in our archives. One of the highlights for many years has been the celebration of the Old Russian New Year on or around January 13. Our membership has ranged from 100 to 150 in recent years, with about 2/3 of the group with Russian roots, including many who have come to the United States in recent years.

✨ Happy Orthodox Easter! ✨On this beautiful and meaningful day, may your heart be filled with light, peace, and renewed ...
04/12/2026

✨ Happy Orthodox Easter! ✨

On this beautiful and meaningful day, may your heart be filled with light, peace, and renewed hope.
May love, kindness, and faith guide you and your loved ones, bringing warmth to your home and joy to your soul.

Wishing you harmony, good health, and many bright moments to cherish.
May this Easter bring new beginnings and quiet happiness into your life.

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

⸻

✨ Светлой Пасхи! ✨

В этот светлый и радостный день пусть в вашем сердце живут мир, любовь и надежда.
Пусть тепло, доброта и вера наполняют ваш дом, дарят радость и вдохновение.

Желаю гармонии, здоровья и множества счастливых мгновений рядом с близкими.
Пусть Пасха принесёт обновление, спокойствие и внутренний свет.

Христос Воскресе! Воистину Воскресе!

Good to see our US representative, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna sharing her visit with our church last week, here in ...
04/07/2026

Good to see our US representative, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna sharing her visit with our church last week, here in St. Petersburg, Florida.

04/05/2026

The variety of the repertoire is truly impressive: Russian, Belarusian, Georgian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish songs formed a vibrant kaleidoscope of the very best of world culture.

The ensemble ZOLOTOJ PLYOS performed at the University of South Florida and the Russian American Club, and both events ...
04/05/2026

The ensemble ZOLOTOJ PLYOS performed at the University of South Florida and the Russian American Club, and both events became cultural milestones in the Tampa Bay area.
Guests warmly responded to the musicians’ high level of professionalism and sincerity, which created a truly lively and heartfelt atmosphere. Both concerts were proudly supported by Russian Heritage, whose sponsorship helped make this memorable evenings possible.

Russian Heritage is a proud sponsor of the professional folklore group performing this Saturday at the Russian American ...
03/25/2026

Russian Heritage is a proud sponsor of the professional folklore group performing this Saturday at the Russian American Club. Looking forward to seeing everyone there

Celebrate the spirit of folk music! Experience the vibrant sounds of ZOLOTOJ PLYOS performing authentic Slavic, Roma, Ge...
03/10/2026

Celebrate the spirit of folk music! Experience the vibrant sounds of ZOLOTOJ PLYOS performing authentic Slavic, Roma, Georgian and Yiddish songs. Russian Heritage is proud to sponsor this fenominal group from Belgium

Today we celebrated the 50th Annual SPIFFS International Folk Fair in Pinellas Park!For fifty years this wonderful festi...
03/07/2026

Today we celebrated the 50th Annual SPIFFS International Folk Fair in Pinellas Park!

For fifty years this wonderful festival has been bringing together cultures from all over the world — through music, dance, traditional food, crafts and friendship.

It was a joy to see so many nations sharing their heritage and traditions. The Russian cultural booth was filled with beautiful costumes, smiling children, and warm conversations with visitors interested in our culture.

Events like this remind us how important it is to celebrate diversity, learn from each other, and build bridges between cultures.

Thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and everyone who came to share this special day.

🌍 Culture connects us.
❤️ Community makes us stronger.

Russian Heritage is proud to sponsor two performances of a folk group ZOLOTOJ PLYOS.The concerts will take place at USF ...
03/06/2026

Russian Heritage is proud to sponsor two performances of a folk group ZOLOTOJ PLYOS.
The concerts will take place at USF and the Russian American Club at Gulfport

Zolotoj Plyos is a unique folk-ensemble from Europe, whose members sing and play songs and instrumental tunes from Eastern Europe. They perform the oral traditions of many regions, singing their songs in languages like Russian, Belorussian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Roma, Armenian, and Yiddish. All three musicians are highly educated and play multiple musical instruments such as the accordion, clarinet, guitar, balalaika, bagpipes, domra, pan-flute, saxophone, jaleyka, and a variety of percussion instruments. In total, they bring with them over 30 musical instruments.

“Zolotoj Plyos” was founded in 1994 in the city of Saratov. Its members are Alexander Solovov, Elena Sadina, and Sergei Grachev. All three group members graduated from the Saratov State Conservatory and are professional musicians.
Alexander, Elena, and Sergei also graduated from the The "Jef Denyn" Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, the Antwerp Conservatory, and the University of Leuven. They have won prizes at a number of international music competitions.
“Zolotoj Plyos” have performed in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Portugal, and the USA.

Over the years 2000-2025, “Zolotoj Plyos” made 17concert tours of the United States. The ensemble was given the honor of performing in Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C., in the main hall of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and also in the main hall of the State Academic Choir in St. Petersburg.
The three members of “Zolotoj Plyos” are professors of music and for 25 years have directed the Choir of the Middlebury College Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian at Middlebury College (Vermont, USA). Alexander, Elena, and Sergei are “Musicians in Residence” in Middlebury College (VT, USA) and Wellesley College (MA, USA).
At the present time the members of “Zolotoj Plyos” live and work in Belgium.

02/27/2026
02/12/2026

The 30th St. Petersburg Winter Ball is now behind us, leaving cherished memories of elegance, joy, and a hint of nostalgia

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Saint Petersburg, FL
33733

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+18133004785

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