Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts is a state institution of higher education and the largest creative, science, resource and training centre in the sphere of musical, dramatic, decorative art as well as arts and crafts in Russia from Ural to the Far East.

The university has a rich history. It was opened in accordance with the Resolution of the RSFSR Cabinet Council № 529 dated October 19, 1977 in the system of the RSFSR Ministry of Culture and began work in 1978. Initially, the structure of the university included three faculties: Musical Faculty, Theatrical Faculty and Visual Arts Faculty. Later, in 1987, Visual Arts Faculty was established as an independent educational institution – Krasnoyarsk State Art Institute. In 2000, the university was given the status of an academy – Krasnoyarsk State Academy of Music and Theatre. In 2015, it was decided to return to a more historic name: Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Arts. In 2017, Krasnoyarsk State Art Institute was annexed to the university in the form of Visual Arts Faculty. In 2018, by the Order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation № 1942 dated November 9, 2018, Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Arts was renamed into Dmitry Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts.

Educational activity is now represented by three faculties for all standards – bachelor’s degree, specialist degree and master’s degree – in academic subjects and specialist fields:

• Musical Faculty: piano, strings, winds, percussion, folk instruments, solo academic singing, solo folk singing, academic choir conducting, folk choir conducting, musicology, composition, audio engineering, music pedagogy;
• Visual Arts Faculty: painting, graphic arts, sculpture, art pottery, graphic design, interior art, environment design, folk art culture, cinema and video arts;
• Theatrical and Choreographic Arts Faculty: drama theatre and film actor, choreographic art (in the directions: contemporary dance, ballroom dance, and folk dance).

The university is included in the system of continuous education and performs educational activities for various audience from students to highly qualified specialists in a focused and sustained manner. In 1990, it provided training for a group of musically gifted children; in 1991, this group was transformed into Pre-University Education Department and in 1994 it was reorganized into Music Lyceum. Krasnoyarsk Gymnasium № 12 of Music and Theatre (which now belongs to the Education and Science Office of Krasnoyarsk City Administration) was established on its basis. Also, in 2004, Music College was set up within Dmitry Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts. There are post-graduate studies and assistant traineeship aimed at skill formation of highly qualified personnel, as well.

Over 60% of university lecturers have received science degrees, honorary titles and government awards. They are members of creative unions. Many professors have started their own original creative schools.

During the years of its existence the university prepared over 2000 professionals for Siberian and Russian theatres, philharmonic societies, concert groups, art and design organizations and workshops, institutions of higher education, specialized secondary educational establishments as well as music and art schools. The graduates of Dmitry Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts live and work in more than 60 cities of Russia, in countries near our country and far abroad. Among the graduates we can mention Dashi Namdakov, a sculptor well-known in Russia and abroad, and a world-famous opera singer People's Artist of the Russian Federation Dmitri Hvorostovsky (baritone).

Creative teams set up on the basis of the university found wide popularity throughout the Russian Federation and beyond its borders. For instance, choral ensemble of soloists “Tebe poem [To Thee We Sing]”, the Artistic Director - Konstantin Yakobson (since 2021, Krasnoyarsk Chamber Choir, the Artistic Director - Ekaterina Baulina); Krasnoyarsk Chamber Orchestra (the Artistic Director - Mikhail Beniumov)..

The academy cooperates closely with musical and artistic educational institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, cities of the Urals and Siberia: Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions, Trans-Baikal Territory, the Sakha (Yakutia), Altai, Buryatia, Tuva and Khakassia Republics.

The university initiates and organizes festivals, competitions, scientific conferences that nowadays have become an integral part of the creative life of the Siberian region and the whole country: the International Art Symposium on Ceramics, the International Music and Theatre Competition and Festival “Nadezhda”, the International Festival and Contest of Academic Choir Conductors “Spring Choir Chapels”, the All-Russian Piano Competition among students of various specialties “Yenisei-KLAVIER”, the All-Russian competition “Symphoniacusinteger”, the Open Siberian Competition “Melos of Siberian Poetry”, the International Scientific Conferences “Art as Seen by the Young” and “Art Culture of Russia”. Their objective is to identify, support and professionalize the most talented students, to develop the creative and scientific potential of the university staff, to enhance awareness in national culture and art.

Under the programs of international relations, multifarious plein-airs are held together with artists from other countries: Germany, France, India, England, Bangladesh, and Japan. Moreover, participation in the International Festival “Italy – Siberia” as well as creative trips, lectures, master classes in India in the places of Nikolai Roerich, at the universities of Turku (Finland), Warsaw, Krakow (Poland), at College of Oneonta (New York State) are carried out. From 2001 to 2016, together with the Internationale Bachakademie (Stuttgart, Germany) with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the university held the Bach Festival in Krasnoyarsk. As a part of creative relations, students of the academy participate annually in music festivals in Germany, England, Serbia, Montenegro, France, the Czech Republic, Greece and other countries. Educationists tour and take an active part (as jury members) in international competitions in Argentina, Germany, Holland, Spain, Italy, Canada and other countries.

The university has signed agreements on creative and scientific cooperation with Krakow Academy of Music (Poland), Chunqing Pedagogical University (China), Harbin Design and Arts Institute of the Harbin University (China), Gonchisumlyy Music and Choreography College (Mongolia), Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatoire (Kazakhstan), Complex "Music College – Music Boarding School for Gifted Children" (Pavlodar, Kazakhstan), the Centre for International Programs of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tadjikistan, Karshi State University (Uzbekistan), Hovhannes Tumanyan Vanadzor State University (Armenia).