This week, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre opened its season in Vladivostok, following a triumphant tour in St Petersburg. The company is going to present the already loved and rarely performed repertoire to audiences on their home stage. The highlight of the repertoire will be a premiere of a new concert programme, Ballet Divertissement
This week, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre opened its season in Vladivostok, following a triumphant tour in St Petersburg. The company is going to present the already loved and rarely performed repertoire to audiences on their home stage. The highlight of the repertoire will be a premiere of a new concert programme, Ballet Divertissement.
In the 2026/27 season, Far Eastern audiences will enjoy the original, vibrant productions of the 20th century, avant-garde ballets from the Diaghilev era, gems of world classics, and the new concert programme.
The dancers commenced the 2026/27 season in the Great Hall of the Theatre, presenting the original, colorful productions that showcase the diversity of the choreographic language of the 20th century. Straight after the tour, the Ballet Company returned to the crown jewel of its repertoire, A Thousand and One Nights to the music by Amirov, the production of Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse) to the music by Shchedrin, designed in the avant-garde style by Set and Costume Designer Maxim Isaev, and Bizet – Shchedrin’s legendary Carmen Suite, paired with the exclusive production of Phaedra to the music by Philip Glass, which can only be seen in Russia in Vladivostok.
The August repertoire will continue with Marius Petipa’s academical interpretations of Don Quixote (August 20, 2026) and Swan Lake (August 27 and 29, 2026), while the 20th-century choreography will be represented by Diaghilev’s masterpieces Les Noces and Petrouchka (August 22, 2026).
In September, the Ballet Company will once again present the iconic A Thousand and One Nights (four performances on September 5 and 26, 2026), and the classical legacy in Giselle (September 10, 2026) and Raymonda (September 24, 2026). Ballet Evening. The Firebird will also return to the playbill on September 12, 2026 (14:00 and 19:00), encompassing the most striking pieces from the various ballet eras.
The premiere of the new concert programme, Ballet Divertissement (September 18, 19, and 20, 2026), will come as the highlight of September. The programme will be featuring the company’s leading soloists Irina Sapozhnikova, Anna Samostrelova, Lilia Berezhnova, Lada Sartakova, Razmik Marukyan, Shizuru Kato, Sergei Umanetc, Denis Klepikov, and Sergei Amanbaev.
On July 28 and 29, 2026, the soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre had a series of conversations with children on holiday at the Russian Children’s Center “Ocean”. Teenagers aged 14 to 17 who had come to the Far East from across the country took part in the discussions
On July 28 and 29, 2026, the soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre had a series of conversations with children on holiday at the Russian Children’s Center “Ocean”. Teenagers aged 14 to 17 who had come to the Far East from across the country took part in the discussions.
While celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the artists and musicians carry out an outreach campaign to tell audiences about the history of their unique Theatre in Vladivostok. Motivational meetings with teenagers and young people might discover a variety of professions and tell them about all of the professional features and nuances. The creative trends were unfolded by leading soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre such as Laura Bustamante, Alexei Kostyuk, and Mingiyan Odzhaev.
The soloists told the audience about the profession of an opera singer and their careers in the world of music. The teenagers learned how to take classes in singing, how to further serve at theatres and what is behind an appearance on the world stage.
Each of the singers imparted his personal history of day-to-day self-cultivation or preparation for performances. The conversation turned out to be sincere and open, and the children asked a lot of questions about the Theatre and backstage life and were interested in the details of the opera profession.
The conversations with the opera singers gave the teenagers an opportunity to get acquainted with the rare and very difficult profession in which physiological data and a voice of great volume combine with a complicated vocal technique of performing works in different languages and dramatic acting mastery. Moreover, great attention was paid to the features of scenic life and the work experience of the unique Theatre in Vladivostok, which has obtained the status of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
On the threshold of the opening of the new theatrical season, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre and the National Centre “Russia” in the Primorsky Territory held a joint educational campaign which was dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the first performance of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan. Within several days, the public could look at the familiar piece from different sides: through literature, the Russian language, music and theatrical art
On the threshold of the opening of the new theatrical season, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre and the National Centre “Russia” in the Primorsky Territory held a joint educational campaign which was dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the first performance of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan. Within several days, the public could look at the familiar piece from different sides: through literature, the Russian language, music and theatrical art.
The first part of the joint program was an appearance of soloists of the Opera Company at the National Centre “Russia” in the Primorsky Territory. As part of the “What Should Be Read” project, the soloists of the Opera Company Alena Diyanova and Yevgeny Mizin unusually acted as reciters. They recited fragments from Pushkin’s fairytale and the opera libretto, and the art critic of the Primorsky Stage, Oleg Maryash, told the audience how the literary source had turned into a musical performance. The guests could hear the familiar texts in the artists’ reading to compare them with the respective opera fragments.
The program continued with a meeting at the Primorsky Stage. On July 26, 2026, before the performance of The Tale of Tsar Saltan, the guide of the National Centre “Russia” in the Primorsky Territory, Anna Nomakonova, gave a lecture on language features of Russian fairytales. The talk combined literature with history and features of Pushkin’s language with Rimsky-Korsakov’s musical heritage. In particular, the public learned about the composer’s sea voyages and a possible link between the Island of Buyan and Russky Island not far from Vladivostok.
The separate part of the program was a creative master class on Russian folklore. Children and adults could paint wooden figures and create their own souvenirs in the Russian folk style. Thus, the acquaintance with the performance went beyond the auditorium and continued in a creative format.
The Tale of Tsar Saltan has become a unifying thread in the two meetings which allowed the public to look at the opera as a literary text, a musical composition and a part of the national cultural tradition.
On July 25, 2026, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will memorably open the new theatrical season with Sergei Prokofiev’s grotesque opera The Love for Three Oranges brilliantly staged by Alexander Petrov
On July 25, 2026, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will memorably open the new theatrical season with Sergei Prokofiev’s grotesque opera The Love for Three Oranges brilliantly staged by Alexander Petrov.
On July 26, 2026, the Opera Company will present The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the most favorite performances in the opera repertoire. Before the performance, the audience will be able to attend a lecture from the Scenic Introduction Project or a master class on wood painting, which will be given by specialists of the National Centre “Russia” in the Primorsky Territory. The lecture “The Language Affluence of The Tale of Tsar Saltan by A.S. Pushkin” is dedicated to language features of Pushkin’s tale and their expression in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s libretto. After the lecture, the audience is expected to attend the creative master class “Russian Folk Images”.
The season will continue with a series of opera performances of various musical styles and epochs, such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta on July 31, 2026, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride on August 1, 2026, Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore on August 2, 2026, La traviata on August 8, 2026, and Rigoletto on August 13, 2026, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro on August 7, 2026, Georges Bizet’s Carmen on August 15, 2026, Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale on August 21, 2026, and Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca on August 28, 2026. The month will end with the operetta Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II on August 30, 2026.
The Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will perform a big concert to celebrate the 270th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth on August 9, 2026. The concert programme will include both the Austrian composer’s well-known significant works and rarely performed ones.
The large-scale opera Mazepa by Pyotr Tchaikovsky will be performed in concert on August 23, 2026. In July, the opera soloists of the Primorsky Stage successfully performed its most complicated parts in Ilya Shlepyanov’s iconic production on the Historical Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. The singers were hard at work on the music material and honed their performing skills under the Artistic Director of the Opera Company Irina Soboleva.
On August 29, 2026, chamber music lovers are expected to attend the Portrait of a Singer in an Interior, which will be held by soprano Anastasiya Kikot, a soloist of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage, and tenor Azat Malik, a guest singer.
Meanwhile, the Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will go on their annual tour to Saint Petersburg where they will traditionally open the theatrical season with the best performances from their repertoire. This year, the tour programme includes Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Adolphe Adam’s Le Corsaire and Giselle and the last season’s high-profile event – Romeo and Juliet choreographed by the Ballet Artistic Director Eldar Aliev.
At the Primorsky Stage, the company will open the season with the ballet A Thousand and One Nights on August 12, 2026. By now, the unique production, specially created for the Vladivostok Ballet Company, has become a pearl of the repertoire.
The ballet playbill in August embraces such classical and twentieth-century favorites as Rodion Shchedrin’s Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse) on August 14, 2026, the ballet night Carmen Suite. Phaedra on August 16, 2026, Ludwig Minkus’s Don Quixote on August 20, 2026, the ballet night Les Noces. Petrouchka on August 22, 2026, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake on August 27 and 29, 2026.
At the Chamber Hall the favorite family performances will go on, such as Sergei Banevich’s Murych the Cat on August 22, 2026 at 12:00 and 14:30, Leonid Klinichev’s The Little Prince on August 29, 2026 at 12:00 and Town Musicians of Bremen on August 16, 2026 at 12:00 and 14:30.
On September 3, 2026, the famous pianist Denis Matsuev will appear at the Primorsky Stage as part of the cultural programme of the Eastern Economic Forum. His performance will be traditionally accompanied by the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra.
On September 19, 2026, the Pacific International Theatre Festival will open at the Primorsky Stage. It will host companies from Mongolia, South Africa, China, Colombia, Malaysia, India, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Russia.
On July 16, 2026, the soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre appeared on the Historical Stage in Saint Petersburg, performing the iconic opera Mazepa by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
On July 16, 2026, the soloists of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre appeared on the Historical Stage in Saint Petersburg, performing the iconic opera Mazepa by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The performance featured leading soloists of the Primorsky Stage, such as Laura Bustamante, Maria Tchaikovskaya, Evgeny Shagarov, Yevgeny Plekhanov, Azamat Malyshov, Alexei Kostyuk, and Ilya Astafurov. The Mariinsky Orchestra was under the baton of the Principal Conductor of the Primorsky Stage, Pavel Smelkov.
Mazepa, staged by Ilya Shlepyanov, is a large-scale historic canvas in which some of the events in the reign of Peter I are entwined with the characters’ dramatic destinies. The performance is marked by expressive scenic solutions, costumes and settings which form the atmosphere of the time of Peter the Great.
The performance is well known to spectators and members of the company. In the 2022/23 season, the opera was successfully included in the repertoire of the Primorsky Stage in Vladivostok. Under the Artistic Director of the Opera Company Irina Yurievna Soboleva, the soloists have made every effort to present Mazepa on the Historical Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre and to confirm their high level of performing skills and their deep mastery of the most complicated musical and dramatic opera materials.
The performance in Saint Petersburg anticipated the opening of the new theatrical season of the Primorsky Stage in Vladivostok. As far as August 23, 2026, Mazepa will again be performed in concert in Vladivostok.
Razmik Marukyan, Principal Dancer of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, won Third Prize and a bronze medal at the XV International Ballet Competition in Moscow. He competed in the Soloists section of the Senior Category
Razmik Marukyan, Principal Dancer of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, won Third Prize and a bronze medal at the XV International Ballet Competition in Moscow. He competed in the Soloists section of the Senior Category.
The International Ballet Competition in Moscow is one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. Held every four years, it brings together on one stage the best young dancers from around the world. A successful performance opens good opportunities for talented dancers.
In 2026, 362 candidates from 35 countries submitted applications for participation in the Competition.
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will open its new season on July 25, 2026. For the opening performance, Sergei Prokofiev’s vibrant, comic opera The Love for Three Oranges has been chosen. Additionally, the season opener will feature repertoire rarities and beloved titles, a performance by renowned Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, and productions from the Pacific International Theatre Festival program
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will open its new season on July 25, 2026. For the opening performance, Sergei Prokofiev’s vibrant, comic opera The Love for Three Oranges has been chosen. Additionally, the season opener will feature repertoire rarities and beloved titles, a performance by renowned Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, and productions from the Pacific International Theatre Festival program.
Opera
In anticipation of the season’s opening in Vladivostok, Primorsky Stage opera soloists will perform in Saint Petersburg. Laura Bustamante, Maria Tchaikovskaya, Evgeny Shagarov, Yevgeny Plekhanov, Azamat Malyshov, and Alexei Kostyuk will appear on the Historical Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera Mazepa on July 16, 2026. Ilya Shlepyanov’s large-scale costume drama is well known to artists and audiences in the Far East. The production was performed on the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre during the 2022/23 season with a success.
In Vladivostok, the season will open with Sergei Prokofiev’s exuberant comic opera The Love for Three Oranges (July 25, 2026); the magical atmosphere of the season opener will be upheld by The Tale of Tsar Saltan (July 26, 2026) and Iolanta (July 31, 2026).
This August opera playbill will be featuring three performances by the Italian master of verismo, Giuseppe Verdi: Il trovatore (August 2, 2026), La traviata (August 8, 2026), and Rigoletto (August 13, 2026). Italian opera will also be represented by Don Pasquale (August 21, 2026) by Gaetano Donizetti, and Tosca (August 28, 2026) by Giacomo Puccini. Connoisseurs of Russian historical opera will enjoy concert performances of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride (August 1, 2026) and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Mazepa (August 23, 2026). Also, Die Fledermaus, operetta by Johann Strauss II (August 30, 2026), and Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (August 7, 2026) will be performed in Russian. Georges Bizet’s Carmen will return to the playbill on August 15, 2026.
The Chamber Hall welcomes young audiences with performances suitable for the whole family: Town Musicians of Bremen (August 16, 2026), Murych the Cat (August 22, 2026), and The Little Prince (August 29, 2026).
The project “Portrait of a Singer in an Interior” presenting the opera soloists in a beloved chamber format will make its comeback to the Chamber Hall on August 29, 2026.
Ballet
The Ballet Company of the Primorsky Stage will traditionally launch its new season with a tour to Saint Petersburg. The company will present the best productions of its repertoire to Saint Petersburg audiences on the Historical and New Stages of the Mariinsky Theatre. The program includes The Nutcracker (July 28 and 29, 2026, August 2, 2026), Le Corsaire (July 30 and 31, 2026), Giselle (August 1, 2026 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM), and the spectacular premiere that rounded up the 2025/26 season of the Primorsky Stage, Romeo and Juliet (August 4, 5, and 6, 2026). In Vladivostok, the company will open the season with Rodion Shchedrin’s ballet Konyok-Gorbunok (The Little Humpbacked Horse) (August 14, 2026). The summer playbill includes a contemporary choreography night, with Carmen Suite and Phaedra (August 16, 2026), Ludwig Minkus’s Don Quixote (August 20, 2026), a night of the ballets Les Noces. Petrouchka (August 22, 2026), and Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s legendary Swan Lake (August 27 and 29, 2026).
Symphony Concerts and Festivals
The concert program of the new season will open with a major performance by the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage at the Theatre's Great Hall (August 9, 2026).
On September 3, 2026, renowned Russian pianist Denis Matsuev will once again perform on the Primorsky Stage as part of the cultural program of the Eastern Economic Forum. He will traditionally appear on stage accompanied by the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra.
On September 19, 2026, the Primorsky Stage will host the first event of the Pacific Theatre Festival. This year, it features teams from Mongolia, South Africa, China, Colombia, Malaysia, India, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Russia. The Great and Chamber Halls of the Theatre will host the performances The Mongol Khan, Hatched, Within, and Dead Souls.
· The Theatre was attended by over 200,000 spectators;
· The Theatre gave over 350 performances on its home stage and on tour;
· Some major premieres took place: operas The Story of Kai and Gerda by Sergei Banevich, La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini (concert performance), ballets La fille mal gardée by Louis Hérold and Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev;
· World premiere of Alexander Smelkov’s cantata God’s Pipe took place;
· Two major festivals were held: the X International Mariinsky Far East Festival and the III Far East Easter Festival;
· The Theatre’s tour geography included St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Artyom, Partizansk, Bolshoy Kamen, Korsakov, and the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye;
· Professional achievements, major anniversaries, and memorable dates happened as well
· The Theatre was attended by over 200,000 spectators;
· The Theatre gave over 350 performances on its home stage and on tour;
· Some major premieres took place: operas The Story of Kai and Gerda by Sergei Banevich, La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini (concert performance), ballets La fille mal gardée by Louis Hérold and Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev;
· World premiere of Alexander Smelkov’s cantata God’s Pipe took place;
· Two major festivals were held: the X International Mariinsky Far East Festival and the III Far East Easter Festival;
· The Theatre’s tour geography included St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Artyom, Partizansk, Bolshoy Kamen, Korsakov, and the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye;
· Professional achievements, major anniversaries, and memorable dates happened as well.
The company closed the season on its home stage on May 31, 2026. The season was rounded up with a landmark, ambitious premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet. A series of performances took place on May 29, 30, and 31, 2026.
Premieres
In the 2025/26 season, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre presented a series of premiere performances.
The first was the premiere of the ballet La fille mal gardée (October 3, 2025), revised by Oleg Vinogradov, People’s Artist of the USSR, to music by Louis Hérold. The renowned choreographer had created the new version specifically for the ballet company of the Primorsky Stage.
On November 22, 2025, the world premiere of God’s Pipe, cantata by composer from St Petersburg Alexander Smelkov, took place, marking the 130th anniversary of Sergei Yesenin’s birth. This work in 14 movements for soloists, mixed chorus, and symphony orchestra, was presented by the Chorus and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage conducted by Principal Conductor Pavel Smelkov.
Another significant event was the premiere of the opera The Story of Kai and Gerda by Sergei Banevich in the Great Hall of the Theatre on December 25, 2025, marking 45 years since its first production and dedicated to the composer’s memory.
To conclude the season, the Theatre’s opera company presented a concert performance of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème under the direction of conductor Evgeny Khokhlov (May 24, 2026).
The ballet company finished the season with a magnificent performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Eldar Aliev.
Festivals
This season, the X International Mariinsky Far East Festival consisted of two parts, whose programs offered a unique series of events to the residents and guests of the region. The Mariinsky Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev, performed Gustav Mahler’s Symphonies No. 1 and No. 7 for the first time in Vladivostok, along with a concert performance of the opera The Queen of Spades by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The Primorsky Stage also presented its premiere of the 2024/25 season, Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore, a Golden Mask Award nominee, under the baton of maestro Valery Gergiev.
The ballet part of the Festival was also memorable. Soloists from the Bolshoi Theatre performed in Vladivostok for the first time, joining leading soloists from the Mariinsky Theatre for two large-scale gala concerts dedicated to Maya Plisetskaya’s centennial anniversary.
The Far East Easter Festival traditionally took place in April. This year, it was held for the third time, spanning three regions of the Far Eastern Federal District. The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre performed in several cities and towns across the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, as well as in Sakhalin Region. This year, the Primorsky Stage musicians traveled over 5,000 kilometers. The performances within the Festival took place for the first time in Artyom, Partizansk, Bolshoy Kamen, Korsakov, and the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye.
Symphonic and Choral Programs
The season was lavish in musical events dedicated to anniversaries of composers: Sergei Prokofiev, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) were premiered.
The Chorus of the Primorsky Stage gave an Easter concert in the Great Hall of the Theatre, performing spiritual and secular music to commemorate the Holy Easter.
The Indoor Portrait of a Singer Project successfully returned to the Chamber Hall’s program.
Tours
During the 2025/26 season, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre hosted performances by the outstanding virtuoso pianist Denis Matsuev, along with the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra under Ivan Nikiforchin, and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage under Pavel Smelkov. As part of the Generations Dialogue Project, Pavel Milyukov (violin), Valentina Fedeneva (soprano), Sofia Viland (flute), Borislav Strulyov (cello), Andrei Ivanov (double bass), and Lev Bakirov (piano) performed on the Primorsky Stage.
The Khabarovsk Musical Theatre returned to the Primorsky Stage in February on tour with a new program of events.
Titles and Awards
The 2025/26 season was marked by major professional awards and achievements.
Irina Soboleva, Artistic Director of the Opera Company of the Primorsky Stage, was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia for her significant contributions to the development of musical and theatrical arts.
Opera soloist Samira Galimova won third prize at the prestigious Operalia World Opera Competition, which this year was held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The production of the opera Il trovatore, the premiere of the 2025/26 season, was nominated for the Golden Mask, main national theatre award. The performance opened the regional program of the award in Vladivostok, where it was nominated.
The ballet company witnessed some promotions. First soloists Lada Sartakova and Denis Klepikov were awarded the titles of principal dancers, while Sergei Amanbaev was promoted to first soloist.
As a principal dancer of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, Lada Sartakova won a silver medal at the I International Ballet Competition in Liaoning.
Eldar Aliev, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, was appointed Chairman of the Jury for the Golden Mask National Theatre Award in the opera, operetta/musical, and ballet competitions.
Educational and Exhibition Activities
This season, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre hosted and initiated exhibitions and displays held to commemorate anniversaries and memorable dates.
In honor of Maya Plisetskaya’s anniversary, a large photo exhibition dedicated to the outstanding ballerina was presented in the Primorsky Stage foyer in collaboration with the Russian News Agency TASS. It featured over 40 photographs from the TASS photo archives, taken at various periods of Maya Mikhailovna’s life.
This season, theatre-goers could also enjoy an exhibition dedicated to the Rimsky-Korsakov dynasty, telling the story of the brothers Nikolai and Voin and their connection to the Far East, and an exhibition of the best children’s drawings dedicated to the World Theatre Day.
A photo presentation celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre opened in the Public Space of the Tretyakov Gallery in Vladivostok. It reveals the Theatre's development stages through 10 photographs.
The educational activities held by the Primorsky Stage also included tours and lectures as part of the Scenic Introduction Project; those took place before performances and concerts in a new format. For the first time, Scenic Introduction was held in the Chamber Hall of the Theatre; in the Great Hall, it was for the first time accompanied by performances by prominent theatre figures Oleg Vinogradov and Semyon Pastukh. During the 2025/26 season, artists and staff of the Theatre participated in large-scale creative encounters with the public, both at the Theatre’s venues as part of the Vacation at the Mariinsky Project, and in the Public Space of the Tretyakov Gallery and the Rossiya National Centre.
This year, the music world celebrates the 135th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev. The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is rounding up the season with a major premiere of the ballet Romeo and Juliet, dedicated to the composer’s anniversary
This year, the music world celebrates the 135th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev. The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is rounding up the season with a major premiere of the ballet Romeo and Juliet, dedicated to the composer’s anniversary.
On May 29, 30, and 31, 2026, a series of performances of the premiere production is going to take place in the Great Hall of the Theatre. Choreography is set by Eldar Aliev, People’s Artist of Russia, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The production team also includes set designer Semyon Pastukh, costume designer Liliya Khismatullina, and lighting designer Taras Mikhalevsky.
One of the most popular 20th century ballets will be presented in its original aesthetic. The color pattern of the performance emphasizes the confrontation between two families, reflecting the struggle between good and evil, and the juxtaposition of love and hate. From concept to completion, the production took two years to develop.
The leading parts in the premiere performances will be performed by the leading dancers of the ballet company: Irina Sapozhnikova, Lada Sartakova, Lilia Berezhnova, Denis Klepikov, Razmik Marukyan, Sergei Amanbaev, Shizuru Kato, and Sergei Umanetc.
Romeo and Juliet will come as the second premiere of the ballet company in the season. In October, the company presented La fille mal gardeé, set to the music by Louis Hérold and choreographed by Oleg Vinogradov, People’s Artist of the USSR.
On May 24, 2026, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre hosted two major events: a high-profile choral concert dedicated to the Day of Slavonic Literature, and the premiere of the opera La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini in concert performance
On May 24, 2026, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre hosted two major events: a high-profile choral concert dedicated to the Day of Slavonic Literature, and the premiere of the opera La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini in concert performance.
In the afternoon, the Great Hall of the Theatre was occupied by children’s choirs, the Academic Chorus of the Far Eastern Federal University, and the Combined Children’s Choir of Primorsky Territory, who performed along with the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage conducted by Waleriy Trubin-Leonoff. The concert programme included sacred works, secular music, and compositions for children’s choirs.
In the evening, the Primorsky Stage hosted the premiere performance of Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème in concert. The opera soloists, the Chorus, and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage conducted by Evgeny Khokhlov presented the work by the outstanding Italian composer.
The libretto of La Bohème is based on Henri Murger’s novel, Scènes de la vie de Bohème. For Giacomo Puccini, the story was deeply personal. He completed the score in 8 months. During its first season in Turin, the opera enjoyed 24 sold-out performances and soon began its triumphant tour around the world. The Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg premiered it in Russian in 1900. On the Primorsky Stage, this masterpiece was performed for the first time.
