The Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Mykola Lysenko celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gala concert.
During the concert, numerous musical pieces by renowned composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Francesco Cilea, Amilcare Ponchielli, and others were performed. The evening concluded with Mykola Lysenko’s “Prayer for Ukraine”, sung by the choir under the direction of Alla Kulbaba.
Among the guests were representatives of government bodies, artists, military personnel, colleagues, and friends of the theatre.
At the event, Olha Rossoshanska, Head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Arts and Art Education, read a greeting from the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, Tetiana Berezhna. To mark the opera house’s 100th anniversary, Rossoshanska presented the theatre’s artists and staff with letters of appreciation from the Ministry.
The Kharkiv Opera opened on October 3, 1925, with the opera “The Fair at Sorochyntsi.” It is one of Ukraine’s most prominent theatre ensembles, with productions that have become part of the golden heritage of Ukrainian culture. In 1944, the theatre was named after Mykola Lysenko; it was granted academic status in 1934 and national status in 2010.
The theatre is a member of the European Opera Association (Opera Europa).
At the beginning of 2022, the Kharkiv Opera employed about 800 staff members. Its company and soloists have successfully performed across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The theatre possessed an extensive material and technical base, with hundreds of sets, costumes, props, and a unique museum collection.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, despite damage to the building caused by missile strikes, the theatre has continued its work.
Since 2023, the Kharkiv Opera has been actively operating on its new safe Loft Stage, pursuing a wide range of projects in cooperation with the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
Some of its most significant recent projects include: a rehabilitation program for volunteers, the creation of a virtual theatre museum, the premiere of the ballet-parable “Dragon Songs” set to music by Maksym Kolomiiets, and the production of a modern experimental opera by Zoltan Almashi dedicated to Taras Shevchenko — “T.H.S. A Journey Through Time”, as well as Mykola Lysenko’s opera “Eneida.”
