On December 5, the formal farewell to Valery Shadrin, the longtime general director of the Chekhov Festival, opened at the Mossovet Theater. The event, reported by DEA News, gathered many who admired his leadership and artistic vision.
Friends, colleagues, and esteemed guests filled the theater to bid farewell to Shadrin. Among them were Toyohisa Kozuki, Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia; Vladimir Urin, the chief of the Bolshoi Theatre; Airat Tukhvatullin, the first assistant artistic director of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre; Olga Sokolova, head of the School of Dramatic Arts theater; Konstantin Ernst, managing director of Channel One; and Evgeny Pisarev, artistic director of the Theatre. Pushkin. The presence of these figures underscored Shadrin’s impact across national and artistic lines, reflecting a career that bridged international collaboration with domestic cultural leadership.
Following the farewell ceremony, the funeral for Shadrin was scheduled to take place at the Great Church of the Ascension at Nikitsky Gate. The burial would then proceed at Troekurovsky Cemetery, marking a solemn close to a life devoted to theater, education, and the cultivation of the arts within Russia and beyond.
Valery Shadrin passed away on December 3 after a protracted illness, at the age of 83. Throughout a long career, he earned numerous honors from around the world. His work received recognition in China, Japan, England, and other nations, underscoring a global appreciation for his contributions to theater and cultural exchange. In France, Shadrin was decorated with prestigious honors, including the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, the Officer of the Academic Palm Branch, and the Legion of Honor, reflecting a legacy that reached well beyond his homeland.