· 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.
