Moscow Military Music College

The Valery Khalilov Moscow Suvorov Military Music College is one of the leading military music institutions in Russia. It is a separate branch of the Suvorov Military Schools in Russia, and the oldest of them all (opened 1937).

History
On August 1, 1937, the conductor and director of music of the Central Military Band of the People's Commissariat of National Defense Semyon Cherneysky founded the school. Pupils ages of 12 and older at first spent 3 years in the boarding school. They have been regular participants in parades on Red Square since 1938. The school was affiliated with the Suvorov Military School in 1944 and was renamed the Moscow Military Music College in 1960. Since 1981, the college has had a four-year term of study for its cadets. The central training band wing of the college plays not only in Russia, but also in military tattoo events in Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, England, Poland, and the Czech Republic. It has been a regular participant in the Spasskaya Tower military tattoo festival since 2006. Its mission is to train young boys inclined to serve the Army and Air Force as bandsmen, conductors and band drum majors.

Just in time for its 80th anniversary the "Valery Khalilov" honorific title was bestowed on December 26, 2016 by no less than the Minister of Defense General of the Army Sergei Shoygu - a day after the tragic crash that killed Khalilov and 91 others off Sochi while the Alexandrov Ensemble was on its way to perform for Russian troops deployed in Syria. The decision was made public by the spokesperson of the MoD Major General Igor Kinashenkov.

The college is more famous internationally for its Corps of Drums, a participant in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 and a regular participant in Revolution Day (1938 to 1990), Victory Day (1965, 1985, 1990, 1995–2008, 2012-), and until 1966 May Day military parades. The corps is led by a Drum Major. The Corps's instrumentation includes snare drums, fifes, trumpets, glockenspiels and during occasions, bass drums, tenor drums and chromatic fanfare trumpets. A Turkish crescent from the college was used as its symbol in the Revolution Day and Victory Day parades from 1975 to 1990, later replaced in 1995 by the college's color guard squad carrying the collegiate Regimental Color (a new color was granted to the institution in 2008), preceded in parades by the Commandant of the College. As an affiliate of the Suvorov Military School and therefore the oldest in operational service, it maintains the privilege granted in 1944 to wear uniforms similar to those used in the school. Today, a modern form of the dress uniform is used for parades by both the Corps of Drums and the training band wing.

It is a recipient of the Komsomol Prize of 1987.

Commandants of the College

 * Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Bank (1937-1939)
 * Boris Lvovich (1939-1940)
 * Colonel Vladimir Zlobin (1940-1957)
 * Colonel Nikolai Nazarov (1957-1958)
 * Colonel Konstantin Kamyshov (1958-1960)
 * Colonel Arkady Myakishev (1961-1970)
 * Colonel Vladimir Volkov (1970-1975)
 * Colonel Vladimir Detisov (1975-1982)
 * Colonel Konstantin Romanchenko (1982-1986)
 * Colonel Arkady Dzhagupov (1986-1993)
 * Colonel Gennady Afonin (1993-2005)
 * Colonel Alexander Gerasimov (2005–Present)

Alummi

 * Dmitry Atovyan
 * Vladimir Kaminsky
 * Nikolay Mikhailov
 * Alexander Poplavsky
 * Alexander Sladkovsky
 * Valery Khalilov
 * Serguei Kostiuchenko