The Eighth International Military Music Festival "Spasskaya Tower" opened on Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday by performances of Russian orchestras and 13 foreign bands.

The show started at 8.00 p.m. sharp. Spectators enjoyed the performances of French singer Mireille Mathieu and were delighted to see the show staged by the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, the festival’s newcomer.

It was the seventh Spasskaya Tower festival for Mireille Mathieu. It’s not surprising she is called the festival’s mascot. "It’s my 7th time here. I am extremely happy to perform at the Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival. They call me the festival’s mascot. A thought that I am going to sing on Red Square, which is famous all over the world, makes me excited and fills my heart with joy," the French singer told a news conference at TASS on Wednesday.
The festival’s organizers noted that the performance of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art was no less impressive than the show of the Kremlin Riding School and the Cavalry Escort of the Presidential regiment.

The Andalusian school’s director Juan Carlos Roman Lopez was impressed by what he saw in Moscow. He said he was already thinking of joint projects with the Kremlin Riding School.

"I hope we are going to develop joint projects in the near future. One school will learn from the other. We are doing it to develop equestrian sport in the world and show and present our Andalusian horses," he said.

The Spasskaya Tower’s opening ceremony assembled 70,000 spectators on Red Square. About 6,000 tickets were handed out to invalids and veterans as gifts. It was impossible to find a vacant seat. The show was broadcast in the Internet and could be seen in any part of the world where the Internet is available.

The festival’s honorary guests include Princess Stephanie of Monaco; Russian Interior Minister General Vladimir Kolokoltsev and Juan Carlos Roman Lopez with his wife.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin was also present at the opening ceremony.

"A wonderful tradition has been created over the past 8 years. Participants from many countries of the world come to Moscow to demonstrate their art and skills. Both experts and spectators say that the Moscow festival of military orchestras has become the best in the world," Sobyanin said in his address. The mayor thanked the festival’s participants for giving a generous gift like their art and hearts to Muscovites on the Moscow City Day.