News

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.

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 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 130^th 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 10^th 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 135^th 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 20^th 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.

In 2026, the musical world celebrates the 135^th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Prokofiev, one of the most brilliant and innovative composers of the early 20^th century.

On May 20, 2026, the Primorsky Stage will present Prokofiev’s grotesque opera The Love for Three Oranges. The legendary ballet Romeo and Juliet will come as a spectacular season-ending premiere on May 29, 30, and 31, 2026.

Alexander Petrov’s production of The Love for Three Oranges premiered on the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in 2023. The performance took place as part of the International Mariinsky Far East Festival, Valery Gergiev taking the conductor’s console. On that day, the opera was performed by the Primorsky Stage opera soloists accompanied by the Mariinsky Orchestra. Composed by thirty-year-old Prokofiev on the basis of the fairy tale by the 18^th-century Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi, The Love for Three Oranges is a metaphor for love of theatre and the carnival underbelly of the world, for the impossibility of living outside the realm of play. The composer has created an opera about opera, its wonders, clichés, and absurdities, which were dear to the theatre audiences and to himself.

To round up the season, the theatre-goers will be treated to the grand premiere of the ballet Romeo and Juliet on May 29, 30, and 31, 2026, choreographed by Eldar Aliev. For the Primorsky Stage, the performance has been designed by Set Designer Semyon Pastukh and Costume Designer Liliya Khismatullina. Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet music was considered innovative for its time; it didn’t fit into the traditional canons of choreographic accompaniment either melodically or structurally. Even before the premiere, the ballet dancers called the music “not danceable”; the composer was forced to create two suites (and later another one) from the new ballet, which started to be performed separately in concerts long before the first night.

The Public Space of the Tretyakov Gallery in Vladivostok will be holding a month dedicated to the Mariinsky Theatre, accompanied by a series of events.

The central event of the month will be the opening of a photo presentation dedicated to the 10^th anniversary of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.

On May 13, 2026, the Theatre will present 10 photographs, each representing a year. On this day, prima ballerina Irina Sapozhnikova and opera soloist Alexei Kostyuk will speak about the significant events making up the decade. Both artists have served at the Primorsky Stage since its inception and have witnessed the Theatre’s development in all its forms.

On May 16, 2026, the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will make its debut in the All-Russian Night of Museums event. Zhanna Suvorova, Head of the Costume Department, will present theatrical costumes at the Tretyakov Gallery’s Public Space; the presentation will be accompanied with a story about the costumes, their features, the differences between opera and ballet costumes, and the nuances of classical and contemporary stage costumes.

One more thing that makes this event so unique is the costumes from the production of Sergei Prokofiev’s grand ballet Romeo and Juliet that will go on display for the first time on the eve of the final premiere of the season.

On May 21, 2026, a discussion of theatre photography and its nuances will be held; the participants will learn more of working in motion, and the challenges the theatre poses to photographers.

On May 29, 2026, the month will be rounded up with a continuation of the Meetings with the Mariinsky project, during which we will talk to musicians of the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage about the specifics of their work, their love of music, and the ensemble’s cohesion.

All events will be free for the public by appointment at the Tretyakov Gallery in Vladivostok.

It is also noteworthy that 2026 marks an anniversary for both the Tretyakov Gallery, which is celebrating its 170^th anniversary, and the Primorsky Stage, which is celebrating its first decade as part of the Mariinsky Theatre.

The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre carries on its annual tradition of tribute concerts in advance of the Great Victory Day.

On May 7 and 8, 2026, the Chamber Hall of the Theatre will host the traditional theatrical concerts of war songs. This year, the Primorsky Stage opera soloists will present a new compilation featuring works never performed in concerts before.

The audiences will enjoy a programme featuring not only the much-loved frontline songs, but also those heartfelt, lyrical works from the wartime years, revealing the emotional, sensual, and everyday aspects of that period. Those melodies and lyrics, familiar to us from a very young age, and telling the stories of our grandparents, will be performed in the Chamber Hall of the Primorsky Stage, accompanied by piano, accordion, and drums.

The concerts will become a pure-heart musical tribute to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and will bring on an atmosphere of profound spiritual unity.

On May 9, 2026, the Great Hall of the Theatre will host one of the most outstanding works of the Russian classical music, opera Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. This production, staged at the Primorsky Stage by renowned St Petersburg masters, Alexei Stepanyuk, Honoured Artist of Russia, and Vyacheslav Okunev, People’s Artist of Russia, is keeping on with the grand style tradition. This historical costume production follows the global tradition of outstanding interpretations of Russian classics.

The series of events of the festive weekend will culminate on May 10, 2026, with Adolphe Adam’s ballet Giselle. This production, transferred from St Petersburg to Vladivostok in 2015, became the first ballet performance of the Mariinsky Theatre to introduce the traditions of classical heritage to Far Eastern audiences. This beloved production is still very popular and remains in highest demand among theatre-goers.

By resolution of the Secretariat of Russian Theatre Union, Eldar Aliev, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, has been appointed Chairman of the Jury for the Golden Mask National Theatre Award in the opera, operetta/musical, and ballet competitions.

In 2026, the Golden Mask Award and Festival will be held for the 32^nd time. The most significant performances from Russian theatres across all genres: drama, opera, ballet, operetta, musical, and puppet theatre will be presented. Performances from the season 2024-2025 are eligible for the competition. 67 nominees from 17 Russian cities are represented.

The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is nominated in the main category, “The Best Opera Performance”. The Golden Mask Festival in Vladivostok was opened on February 28, 2026, with Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore, staged by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev and designed by Pyotr Okunev.

The main program of the Festival will be taking place in Moscow from March 10 to June 10, 2026. 12 performances will be presented in the regions due to technical requirements. The awards ceremony will take place on June 20, 2026 in Omsk.

The III Far East Easter Festival is to be held from April 12 to 28, 2026. The Festival will embrace three regions such as Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories and Sakhalin Region.

On the eve of the Festival, the renewed programme of Stabat Mater, accompanied by sand animation, will be performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage in the Chamber Hall of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre on April 10, 2026. The programme includes compositions by Pergolesi, Mozart and Schubert.

On April 12, 2026, the Festival opening ceremony will be held in the Great Hall of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in Vladivostok. Soloists of the Opera Company, the Chorus of the Primorsky Stage and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will perform Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades in concert.

In the Great Hall of the Primorsky Stage on April 14, 2026, the large-scale choral Easter concert will be given by the Chorus of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, conducted by Larisa Shveikovskaya, Honoured Artist of Russia. The concert programme includes sacred music by Russian composers.

The touring part of the Festival will open with a stream of performances in Primorsky Territory. Three concerts will be given in Artyom, Partizansk and Bolshoy Kamen from April 17 to 19, 2026.

On April 21, 2026, the Festival will go on in Sakhalin Region – a concert will be given in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. On April 22 and 23, 2026, the Primorsky Stage will present world classic compositions in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Korsakov.

In Khabarovsk Territory, the performances will take place in Khabarovsk on April 24, 25, 27 and 28, 2026 and in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on April 26, 2026.

This year the programme of the Far East Easter Festival includes choral, symphonic and vocal-symphonic parts. At various concerts, the audiences will be able to enjoy fragments from the operas Ruslan and Lyudmila, Prince Igor, Il trovatore and Carmen, concert performance of The Queen of Spades, arias by Mozart, compositions by Haydn, and Symphony No. 1 by Sergei Prokofiev. The Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage will perform under the baton of Pavel Smelkov.

It should be noted that the Far East Easter Festival has become an annual addition to the programme of the Moscow Easter Festival, which is directed by Valery Gergiev. This year the Primorsky Stage will join the renowned music forum for the third time.