Location

• Samara is a large city in southern Russia located at the confluence of the Volga and Samara rivers. It has a long history of cultural exchange with sister cities in other countries, which are also situated on large rivers. For this reason, the American sister city of Saint Louis and its jazz have been one aspect of the city's major cultural imports.
  
  

Environment

• The riverside areas around Samara consist of beautiful parks, a major tourist destination for vacationing Russians. The city hosts a large number of cultural and artistic events all year long. Most of the festivals involve Russian folk and classical arts, but Samara is also host to some of the most important music festivals in the world.
  
  

History

• Samara has always influenced Russian, and world, history--especially in the musical arts. Tolstoy, Kabalevsky, Korolenko, Yuri Garin (the first man in space) and Alexandre Dumas (the French writer) all called Samara home. Dimitri Shostakovich wrote his 7th symphony in Samara. The Samara Jazz Festival has had repercussions in the world of jazz. There are jazz groups all over the globe which were so inspired by the Samara Jazz Festival that they have made Samara part of their name.