Spectators promised encounters with stars during Sochi 2014 Paralympics

Show-stopping performances by the legendary Spanish tenor Jose Carreras, the famous British dance company Stopgap – a world leader in the area of inclusive dance – and the winners of the prestigious creative "Class Mira" and "Textura Olymp" competitions will be just some of the highlights of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Cultural Programme.

The programme offers guests the change to experience the musical and artistic masterpieces presented over the past four years during the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad, marking its spectacular conclusion.

The events will be held on stage at the Sochi 2014 Live Site, in concert halls, on the Olympic Park and in the Medals Plaza for Paralympic athletes, located in the very heart of the Mountain Cluster on the lower section of the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort.

A full schedule of the cultural programme for the Paralympic Winter Games will be available on the official website (Culture.sochi2014.com) and in the "Events" section of the mobile application for spectators.

Most concerts and exhibitions that take place as part of the Cultural programme will be free for the guests to the Games. Tickets for paid events will be available at the box offices in Sochi.

Class Mira

In March 2014 the participants of the All-Russian Children's Theatre Contest "Class Mira" will perform in Sochi. Over 300 young people aged 13-17 years attended the qualifying rounds of the competition. In total 31 talented children from schools and orphanages from all over Russia became finalists.

In the final round of the competition young authors will meet once again their coaches and best friends - professional playwrights, directors, actors, musicians and artists - to create a theatrical production that will be shown to public on 13 March in the Winter Theatre in Sochi. Among the participants: actress Maria Golubkina, actress Yekaterina Volkova, actor Andrei Merzlikin, cinema actor Vladimir Skvortsov, musician and actress Miriam Sehon, musician Sergei Starostin, the group of "Calto" and others.

In addition, during their stay in Sochi teenagers will write and present their essays to public, in which they will give their answers to three questions related to the Paralympic Games: "What helps you overcome difficulties and doubts?", "What does it take to be a winner?" and "What does it mean for you to win?".

The aim of the project is to find and support gifted young people and help them to find their place in life.

Music of Life

On 10 March 2014, the "Music of Life" concert - part of a long-term charity programme "A Thousand Russian cities" - will take place in Sochi. Organisers of the concert, the non-profit charitable foundation "World of Art", have invited outstanding professional musicians as well as musically gifted children with impairments from different regions of Russia to the capital of the Paralympic Games. Guests of the concert will be the honoured artist of the Russian Federation and composer Alexander Pokidchenko and honoured artist of the Russian Federation Sergey Nikitin.

At the heart of the concert's programme there will be a composition AVE MARIA from different composers performed by the "Broadway" vocal group, the instrumental group of the “World of Art” foundation, and the UNESCO World Children's Choir.

Textura Olymp

On 11 March everyone will be invited to the Winter Theatre in Sochi to enjoy the theatrical festival "Textura Olymp".

During the festival, representatives from the winning theatres will be awarded, namely: Le Circue de Sharles la Tannes from Moscow with the play "Cops on Fire" by Yuri Kwiatkowski, Perm theater "U Mosta" with Sergei Fedotov's production "The Cripple of Inishmaan," the Moscow theater "Practika" with a performance of "Grandma" by Svetlana Zemlyakova.

White Stick - Paralympic Games

On 16 March, the "White Stick – to Paralympic Games" will be held at the Winter Theatre in Sochi. The event will summarise the results of four years of work of the White Stick international charity festival.

This year's participants in Sochi will include some of the most stellar performers. Sochi 2014 Ambassador Diana Gurtskaya and other popular artists will be on stage. A highlight of the concert will be a performance by the legendary opera singer José Carreras, who is in Sochi especially for the event.

Among Cultural Programme participants is the Perm Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, led by Teodor Currentzis, a five-time winner of the Golden Mask National Theatre Award. On 8March, theatre dancers will present a ballet of Sergei Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet," and on 9 March a concert by the orchestra and chamber choir MusicAeterna will be held.

During the Paralympic Games in Sochi, the programme "Choirs of Russia" - supported by the All-over Russia Choral Society, Administration of the city of Sochi, and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee - will unfold. Russian choirs will become active participants in the program, performing at sites around the city and in the Olympic Park. The Gala-concert at the Winter Theatre in Sochi will take place on 15 March.

In addition, as part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad and the Year of British and Russian Cultural Exchange 2014, a unique concert will be held on 14 March at the Winter Theatre in Sochi.

The British Council is organising a performance by the famous group Stopgap, one of the world's leaders of inclusive dance. This troupe will perform in Russia for the first time and will present their new show "Artificial Things," which has been met with roaring applause in Europe. Stopgap's performance goes in line with the Paralympic values, symbolising art without barriers and belief in human abilities. It is noteworthy that dancers participating in the production also performed at the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Sochi 2014 Live Sites

During the Paralympic Winter Games, three Sochi 2014 Live Sites will be in operation. The Live Sites will feature a stage, big screens, sound and lights where visitors can watch the Games together, soak up the atmosphere of the Games and celebrate the victories of their teams. One Sochi 2014 Live Site will be in Sochi and two in Moscow. The government of Moscow will open venues in Sokolniki Park (near the fountain) and Gorky Park (near Buran). The Sochi 2014 Live Site in Sochi will be located in the Central Square at Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre. In addition to the broadcast of the competitions, as part of the Paralympic Games spectators will have the chance to watch an extensive cultural programme featuring finalists and winners of the Cultural Olympiad and some star performers.

In Sochi at Rosa Khutor and the Paralympic Medals Plaza, thousands of guests and participants of the Games will gather each day for the central event in the evening - the athletes' Medal Ceremony - in order to share the joy of victory and enjoy a celebratory concert in honour of the winners of the Games. Before and after the awards ceremony, on the main stage of the Paralympic Games the best performers from the Russian regions will demonstrate richness, diversity and beauty of the Russian culture. The program will include the Pyatnitsky Choir (Moscow), Islamey State Folk Song Ensemble (Republic of Adygea), New Names Children's Choir (Orenburg Region), Kuban Cossack Choir (Krasnodar Region), Stavropolye ensemble, and many others. After the Medal Ceremony, popular Russian and foreign performers will also perform.