Helikon-opera opens its 36th season!

Helikon-opera opens its 36th season!

Theater plans for the first half of the season

Helikon opened its new season with a grand tour to Chukotka —Helikon performed for the first time in Anadyr on August 16 and 17, conquering the local people and leaving unforgettable feelings and love for opera in their hearts!

During these August days, Anadyr turned into a center of cultural attraction: as part of the project Gudym — Arctic Sounding, the best theater soloists and choir artists joined by the local Ensemble Ergyron, representing the unique culture of the indigenous peoples of the North, performed in front of residents and guests of the city.

The programme The Cultural Pole, that united two gala concerts at the Regional Art Center, a concert of spiritual and Orthodox music at Holy Trinity Cathedral, an exhibition of theatrical costumes created according to sketches by internationally famous artist Valery Kungurov, an exposition with masterpieces by outstanding artists of the 20th century Marc Chagall and Erté, as well as master classes for the young talent people, became the main event in the cultural life of the region due to the impeccable organization and sincere dedication of each participant of the project. It was a real theatrical expedition: 80 people, 100 costumes, 3 tonnes of scenery and a distance of 6,200 km.

More than a thousand residents of Chukotka attended all the events of the project, and for those who could not attend in person, a broadcast of the event was organized in the Helikon Opera community on VKontakte.

The programme The Cultural Pole within the framework of the project Gudym — Arctic Sounding is supported by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. The general producer is Moscow Prize winner Eduard Musakhanyants.

In September Helikon will launch a unique project that has become a logical continuation of the Youth Opera Artists Programme - the YOUTH PROGRAMME OF THE LEADERS OF THE MUSICAL THEATER HELIKON-OPERA.

People say Helikon is the youngest Moscow musical theater. Thirty-six years ago, GITIS graduates created Helikon not because they wanted to found another theater. They understood that the theater is a living organism that is dying without a constant supply of fresh blood. The theater preserves traditions, but only thanks to those who are ready to rethink those traditions.

And now it's come full circle - Helikon-opera is returning to the roots, but on a new level. That is why one of the most important projects of the theater, the Youth Opera Artists Programme, is moving to a new stage of development in the 36th season. It is a conscious necessity: we are not just looking for those who want to "connect their lives with the theater" (these words sound like a verdict). We are looking for those who are now ready to create and build, who understand that the theater is not a place of work, but a way of exist, who are ready to cooperate, that is, to work together, sharing responsibility and joy.

We are pushing the boundaries of the Youth Programme and adding specialties such as director, producer, lighting designer and make-up artist to the project.

The Youth Programme of the Leaders of the Helikon-opera theater is focused on the development of a new generation of theater workers. Its uniqueness lies in the concept of "theater in the theater": master classes and mentoring of theater professionals are inseparable from the real creative process. Participants become part of the repertory and premiere life of the theater, gain access to resources, mentoring and new creative opportunities.

On August 20 and 21, the second qualifying round will take place at Helikon, following which 8 vocalists, 2 producers, 2 directors, 2 lighting designers and 2 make-up artists will be selected to participate in the programme.

The Youth Programme of the Leaders of the musical theater is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.

Another important area of the theater's work with youth is the project Young Stage, which was launched as part of the Youth Program in the 35th season with the support of the Charitable Foundation Metalloinvest. It will be further developed this year.

In the 36th season, the socially significant project Theater Therapy will continue in the regions of Russia. Young directors, screenwriters, artists, and producers are waited not only in Moscow, but also in Nizhny Novgorod, Tambov, and Stary Oskol.

On August 31, the talented youth of Helikon, graduates of the Third Youth Opera Artists Programme, will present the concert Young Faces of Helikon in the Small Amphitheater of Zaryadye Park in the framework of the forum Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030.

Beyond that, the theater is expanding its cooperation with students of Russian State University of Cinematography, Moscow Architectural Institute, Stroganov University and, of course, Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in the new season.

This season Helikon opens the repertoire with the premiere of The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky on August 21. The production by Dmitry Bertman and Valery Kiryanov became a bright final of the anniversary season and aroused great interest. Also in these days, the theater will record the performance for broadcast together with the TV-channel Russia-Culture.

For many years Helikon Opera participates regularly in the City Day celebrations and every time the theater prepares a special programme. On September 14, Helikon’s people will delight Muscovites and guests of the capital with a bright, unforgettable gala concert My Moscow.

The first premiere of the 36th season— the opera Maddalena by Sergey Prokofiev will take place on October 9 in the White-Columned Hall of Princess Shakhovskaya. The directed is Ilya Ilin, Moscow Prize winner, Honored Worker of Culture of Russia, the conductor is Valery Kiryanov, Moscow Prize Winner, the production designer Rostislav Protasov, Honored Worker of Culture of Russia. The premiere performances will run until October 12.

In the 36th season, Helikon welcomes the participants of the 10th anniversary festival To See the Music. As part of the festival the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov will be presented by the St. Petersburg State Children's Musical Theatre Zazerkalye on October 7 and the plastic performance Carmen by Rodion Shchedrin, staged by the Irkutsk Regional Musical Theater named after N.M. Zagursky, will be presented on the stage of the Stravinsky Hall on October 8. The Helikon-opera will present two performances as part of the festival To See the Music: the premiere of Prokofiev's Maddalena (October 10) and Un mari à la porte by Jacques Offenbach (October 31).

In the first half of the season, the Helikon playbill features brilliant performances beloved by the public: Kaffeekantate by Johann Sebastian Bach, Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, La bohème, Turandot and Tosca by Giacomo Puccini, Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill, Aleko by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky, Cinderella by Leonid Weinstein, Les Dialogues des Carmélites by Francis Poulenc, The Medium by Gian Carlo Menotti, Un mari à la porte and Les contes d’Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach, La traviata and Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, Carmen by Georges Bizet.

The legendary Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss and the magnificent musical performance The Light of the Bethlehem Star will reign at Helikon according to tradition on the eve of the New Year holidays and Christmas.

The theater has prepared children's musical performances Opera Fairy Tale Welcomes Guests and Forgotten tales land, as well as a children's version of Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for young theater-goers.

From September to December, the audience will meet the Helikon anniversaries: on September 13, a concert performance Two Great Men: Chaliapin and Gorky will be presented in the Stravinsky Hall for the anniversary of the Honored Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexey Tikhomirov, and on October 21, Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Toptygin will receive guests in the White-Columned Hall of Princess Shakhovskaya. Another anniversary concert is a musical offering to Georgy Sviridov Georgy Sviridov. Holy Love in the Stravinsky Hall on December 16. On this day, the whole world will celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of the great composer.

Meetings in The drawing-room of Lyudmila Zhumaeva and concerts of the #Jazzkafe project will continue. The charity online project We will help you! will also continue throughout the season.

The theatre's exhibition projects will delight the audience with new expositions and informative and exciting excursions will bring vivid emotions.

We are pleased to announce that the Seventh Nano-Opera International Competition for Young Opera Directors will be held at Helikon in May 2026.

See you in the new season at the Helikon Opera!