The Opera and Ballet Festival “Tchaikovsky Fest. Yakutsk”, dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the great Russian composer, will be held in Yakutsk from October 17 to 31, 2025. The project is supported by the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives and is conducted under the auspices of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Creative Union of Cultural Workers and the State Opera and Ballet Theater named after D. K. Sivtsev — Suorun Omolloon. Invitations and arrangements for the participation of stars from the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters are provided by the F.E.S. Foundation for the Support of Classical Music Art (Forma Energia Scaena, St. Petersburg). Festival video content is produced by the film studio “See the Sea” (St. Petersburg).

Yakutsk, home to a world-class opera and ballet theater, is rightly considered the cultural capital of the Russian Arctic. However, due to its remote location from the federal center, festivals of classical art with national significance are rare here.

According to the festival director, Vladislav Levochkin, who is also the director of the State Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) named after D. K. Sivtsev — Suorun Omolloon, the festival’s great success lies in the opportunity to collaborate with federal partners:

“The previous Tchaikovsky festival in Yakutsk was held 33 years ago, essentially in a different country. Since then, a generation of audiences and performers has changed. Therefore, the support of professionals from St. Petersburg, with whom we have a long-standing collaboration in classical music, is very precious. The arrival of such renowned guests is not only a wonderful gift for our audience but also gives a creative boost to the development of our theater. Moreover, joint performances will take place not only in concerts but also in stage productions.”

The festival will feature leading soloists of opera and ballet, highly sought-after masters of the stage:

• Gleb PERYAZEV, bass, soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre (winner of the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition)
• Alexey ASLANOV, conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre, guest conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre (winner of the 2nd International Competition for Pianists, Composers, and Conductors named after S.V. Rachmaninoff)
• Grigory CHERNETSOV, soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre (Honored Artist of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and St. Petersburg)
• Alexey TATARINTSEV, guest soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre (Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, winner of the Luciano Pavarotti International Tenor Competition, National Opera Award “Onegin,” and National Theatre Award “Golden Mask”)
• Maria BULANOVA, soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre Ballet (winner of the ballet competition “Vaganova Prix”)
• Rustam ISHAKOV, soloist of the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theater, People’s Artist of the Republic of Bashkortostan
• Tatyana PAVLOVSKAYA, soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre (winner of numerous competitions, Honored Artist of Russia, performing on world stages, two-time Grammy nominee)
• Agunda KULAEVA, soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre (Honored Artist of Russia and the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, winner of the 14th International Competition for Young Opera Singers named after B. Christov)
• Anatoly KUZNETSOV, renowned pianist (permanent accompanist at the Mariinsky Theatre Academy for Young Opera Singers and longtime accompanist of People’s Artist of the USSR Elena Obraztsova, Honored Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania)

The project unites St. Petersburg, the capital of our country, with the cultural capital of the Russian Arctic — Yakutsk. Inviting renowned and highly skilled performers forms the festival’s core concept and ensures a high artistic level, making it a landmark event for everyone passionate about classical art. Guest stars will also get a close encounter with Russia’s northernmost Opera and Ballet Theater, which this year became a three-time laureate of the National Theatre Award “Golden Mask.”

During the festival, a documentary film “The Bootur Theater” by St. Petersburg director and producer Mila Kudryashova will be filmed, supported by the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. The film studio “See the Sea”, co-author and festival partner, will not only complete the filming of the largest Opera and Ballet Theater of the Arctic but also create video content for the festival, producing a unique archive of Yakutsk’s cultural life.

The festival will open with a completely new version of “The Nutcracker”, staged by the theater’s principal choreographer, Honored Artist of Russia, laureate of the State Prize named after P.A. Oyunskiy, recipient of the “Soul of Dance” prize, and National Theatre Award “Golden Mask” (“Best Ballet Performance”) — Ekaterina Tayshina. Invited opera and ballet soloists will perform the lead roles in the theater’s repertoire productions: “Iolanta,” “Eugene Onegin,” and “Swan Lake”, and will take part in the final combined gala concert. Conductors will include: Artem Bystrov (Yakutia Culture Honoree, The Nutcracker), guest conductor Alexey Aslanov (Iolanta), Artistic Director of the theater Pavel Vaskovsky (Honored Artist of Yakutia, Eugene Onegin), and Nikolai Pikutskiy (Honored Artist of Yakutia, Swan Lake).

Thus, the festival will become a significant cultural event in the Russian Far East, creating a unified cultural context across the country and engaging audiences in what previously seemed unattainable and exclusive in the Republic of Sakha.

The festival program also includes a range of educational activities inspired by P.I. Tchaikovsky: masterclasses for students of art universities, colleges, and schools; creative evenings with opera and ballet stars; immersive theater tours; and an exhibition. Masterclasses and creative evenings will take place in the chamber hall of the Yakutsk Opera and Ballet Theater and the children’s theater of the Yakutsk Ballet School. They will be broadcast live nationwide via the festival’s federal media partners, promoting classical music and encouraging student participation from across Russia in the national musical process.

🎭 Main Festival Events

October 17, 18:30 Festival Opening. Ballet “The Nutcracker” Saryal Afanasyev, Anastasia Platonova

October 18, 17:00 Ballet “The Nutcracker” Valery Argunov, Maria Kuzmina

October 20

• 17:00 — Masterclass with Gleb Peryazev — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater
• 18:30 — Creative Evening with Gleb Peryazev — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater

October 21

• 16:00 — Masterclass with Igor Myasoedov — Room 305, Yakut Ballet School
• 17:30 — Creative Evening with Ekaterina Tayshina — Children’s Theater, Yakut Ballet School

October 22

• 16:00 — Masterclass with Irina Pudova — Room 305, Yakut Ballet School
• 17:30 — Creative Evening with Saryal Afanasyev and Maria Kuzmina — Children’s Theater, Yakut Ballet School

October 23, 18:30 Opera “Iolanta” Alexey Aslanov, Gleb Peryazev

October 24, 16:00 Masterclass with Anatoly Kuznetsov — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater

October 26, 17:00 Opera “Eugene Onegin” Grigory Chernetsov, Alexey Tatarintsev

October 27

• 17:00 — Masterclass with Tatyana Pavlovskaya — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater
• 18:30 — Creative Evening with Tatyana Pavlovskaya — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater

October 28

• 17:00 — Masterclass with Alexey Tatarintsev — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater
• 18:30 — Creative Evening with Alexey Tatarintsev — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater

October 29

• 15:30 — Masterclass with Agunda Kulaeva — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater
• 17:00 — Creative Evening with Agunda Kulaeva — Chamber Hall, Opera and Ballet Theater
• 18:30 — Ballet “Swan Lake” — Maria Bulanova, Rustam Iskhakov

October 30

• 12:00 — Masterclass with Maria Bulanova — Room 305, Yakut Ballet School
• 13:00 — Creative Meeting with Maria Bulanova — Children’s Theater, Yakut Ballet School

October 31, 18:30 Festival Closing. Gala Concert “Tchaikovsky Fest. Yakutsk” Tatyana Pavlovskaya, Agunda Kulaeva, Alexey Tatarintsev, Maria Bulanova, Rustam Iskhakov, Anatoly Kuznetsov