A handmade silver Easter egg by a famous jeweler Vladimir Mikhailov will be the audience award at the 17th International Musical Olympus Festival to be held in St. Petersburg from May 22 to June 3, 2012.

The Audience Award of the International Musical Olympus Festival was established in 2008. It is the audience of the festival concerts that chooses in question lists who is to get this award. The prize is provided by Vladimir Mikhailov’s jewelry workshop that annually supports not only the festival in St. Petersburg but also foreign presentation concerts of the Musical Olympus.

In 2011 the Audience Award of the festival was won by U.S. saxophonist Ashu. This musician is a multiple winner of international and national contests, has many tours in France, Austria, Portugal, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, New Zealand and other countries of the world.

The Audience Award of the Festival 2012 is an Easter egg made as a triptych icon called ‘Descent into Hell’ which complements the collection of table and hanging Easter eggs. Each item of the collection has got a unique design: the image of one of the Twelve Feasts is followed by various images of the Blessed Virgin or Jesus Christ. The items of the collection are made in silver, green or white gold and encrusted with diamonds.

Vladimir Mikhailov, a stone-carving artist of Orthodox images and symbols, works with the blessing of the Church since 1983. In his creative work the master revives the artistic technique of Orthodox religious images that originated in Pskov and Novgorod in the 12th – 13th centuries, was passed down from generation to generation and has become the traditional for images of Orthodox characters in Russia. Vladimir Mikhailov, St. Petersburg artist jeweler, is often referred to as the successor of Faberge’s traditions for the high quality of his jewelry items. Worshipers of the brand and happy owners of jewelry by Vladimir Mikhailov include an actress Lydia Fedoseyeva-Shukshina, a musical diva Anna Netrebko, Queen Sofía of Spain, a famous actor Mickey Rourke and many others.