The St Petersburg Academic Capella is Russia's oldest professional choir. Its lineage reaches back to the 15th century, when singers served at the Grand Prince's court. The choir has been in St Petersburg since 1738 and in its current Moyka 20 building, by Leonty Benois, since 1810.
🎼 What to hear
Concerts by the Capella Choir and its Symphony Orchestra. The repertoire covers Russian choral classics (Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Sviridov) and Western (Bach, Mozart, Verdi). Christmas and Easter programmes run in dedicated seasons. Weeknight main concerts usually begin at 7 p.m. (often Friday/Saturday); weekend family concerts at 3 p.m.
🎹 Hall: acoustics and intimacy
The Capella hall seats 788 in a horseshoe with a balcony. Acoustics are even for choir and orchestra alike. Side boxes have less view and cheaper tickets.
💳 Tickets
Via capella-spb.ru from 500 ₽ (side) to 3,000 (central stalls). Student and school discounts apply.
🚕 Getting there
Nevsky Prospekt or Admiralteyskaya metro, five minutes on foot. The Capella archway opens into a thoroughfare courtyard leading to Bolshaya Konyushennaya. After the concert, a RideClu transfer is easier than metro.
🛏 Where to stay
Apartments near Kazanskaya and Malaya Konyushennaya are bookable on Tutkakdoma.
If this is your first time in St Petersburg, bear two things in mind. Distances between the main sights are short, but autumn daylight is brief and rain arrives on no schedule. Plan your route around the lit half of the day, allow half an hour of buffer between stops, and bring a thermos and gloves for the evening. Full-house seats are held until an hour before curtain and then released at the box office — turning up thirty minutes ahead sometimes still works.
On the ground, walking is easiest between adjacent blocks, with short taxi hops when it gets dark or wet. If you are travelling as a group or with children, arrange the evening transfer back to your flat ahead of time — late-night fares spike. Flats in the centre go fast at weekends: book a week ahead for Nevsky, the Petrograd Side or Vasilievsky.
St Petersburg rewards half-day visits rather than one long marathon. Pick a theme — a single museum, a district, a walk — and give it time. After the active part, a warm cafe, a bookshop or a swimming pool is as much part of the ritual as the sights themselves, especially in November.
Verified against capella-spb.ru on 22 October 2026.
Cover photo: Vaija, CC BY-SA 4.0, Викисклад
