International Symposium “ The North in the Traditional Cultures and Professional Composer’s Schools” is the first joint project of Petrozavodsk State Academy of Music and the International Musicological Society. The authors of the project are Liudmila Kovnatskaya, Doctor of Arts, Professor of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory, Russian leading scientist of the Russian Institute of Art History of the RF Academy of Science, Russia and Vera Nilova, Doctor of Arts, Professor, Head of the Chair of Music History of Petrozavodsk State Academy of Music, Russia. More than 40 participants from Russia, Belgium, Finland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, UK, the USA and other countries arranged five study groups focused on the following questions: the North in the Traditional Cultures; the North in the Professional Composer’s Schools; Marginal Figures of the 20th century music; Shostakovich and his epoch; Stravinsky: between East and West. The Symposium’s special guest - Irina Shostakovich, widow of the outstanding composer who presented new books published by Dmitry Shostakovich Publishing House (DSCH).