The Instrumental Soloists Ensemble  ‘Philharmonia’  works closely together with the Don KosakenChor Russland and conductor Marcel N. Verhoeff. Almost all members of this ensemble have worked with conductor Marcel Verhoeff  for over 30 years in the former Moscow Festival Ensemble. This extraordinary, professional group consists of laureates who play together with great pleasure and love for their craft. Many of them teach at the foremost institutes in Moscow. They perform solo concerts and are regularly asked to perform as soloists with the big Russian symphony orchestras. The ensemble’s leader, Valery Elchik, also arranges and composes a lot. Together with Marcel Verhoeff he creates arrangements especially tailored to the choir. In September 2009 the ensemble performed for Patriarch Kyrill and the Russian Presidents Medvedev and Putin.