 The 1960s saw the rise of the VIA (Vocalno-instrumentalny ansambl, vocal&instrumental ensemble) movement.VIAs were state-produced bands of professional musicians, often performing songs written for them by professional composers and writers of the Union of Composers such as Alexandra Pakhmutova, Yan Frenkel and Raimonds Pauls.Among the most notable VIA bands and vocalists were Pesniary, a folk band from Belarus; Zemliane, Poyushie Gitari, Yuri Antonov with Arax and Stas Namin with Tsvety.