Yevgeny Gorenburg, Ural rock pioneer and festival visionary, dies at 66
Yevgeny Gorenburg, Co-Founder of Yekaterinburg's Rock Club and Creator of Major Cultural Festivals, Dies at 66
Yevgeny Gorenburg—a musician, co-founder of the legendary Yekaterinburg Rock Club, and the driving force behind major cultural festivals such as Ural Music Night, Old New Rock, and Red Line—has passed away at the age of 66. In recent months, the musician had been facing health issues.
Sverdlovsk Region Governor Denis Pasler announced the news in his Telegram channel, paying tribute to Gorenburg's immense contribution to preserving and advancing the Ural rock scene. "We have lost a man whose projects and initiatives resonated with hundreds of thousands of people and earned recognition far beyond our region. Yevgeny Lvovich's passing is an irreplaceable loss for the professional community, his colleagues, and his friends," Pasler wrote.
Gorenburg was the mastermind behind the Old New Rock and Ural Music Night festivals and the visionary creator of the large-scale literary festival Red Line. He was a tireless champion of young talent, discovering new artists and helping musicians break into the mainstream, the governor noted.
The cause of death has not been disclosed. According to a source cited by RBK Yekaterinburg, the founder of Ural Music Night had been struggling with health problems in recent months.
Launched in 2015 on Gorenburg's initiative, Ural Music Night has since become one of Russia's largest annual music festivals, held across multiple venues in Yekaterinburg with free admission. Over the years, the event has featured performances by Shortparis, Brainstorm, rappers Husky and Feduk, Ivan Dorn, Noize MC (real name Ivan Alexeyev; designated a "foreign agent" in Russia in November 2022), Therr Maitz, Kurara, and others. The 2026 festival is scheduled for June 19.
Born on January 13, 1960, in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), Gorenburg initially worked as a physician before pursuing music. He graduated from the Sverdlovsk Medical Institute (now Ural State Medical University) in 1983. In 1987, together with Viktor Shavrukov and Alexey Khomenko, he co-founded the rock band Top. Additionally, from 1991 onward, he served as director and president of the Yekaterinburg sports club Dynamo – Field Hockey.
