November 10, 2026 | Moscow International Performing Arts Center, Svetlanov Hall
Soloists: Elena Zaitseva, Yulia Goncharova, Pyotr Borisenko, Alexander Babik, Maxim Katyrev
Stage Director: Pyotr Borisenko
Conductor: Konstantin Khvatynets
Excerpts from operettas by Johann Strauss, Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár, Franz von Suppè and others
On October 25, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Galina Vishnevskaya, an outstanding opera singer, actress, teacher and stage director, whose name became synonymous with the Russian vocal tradition and boundless artistic freedom. Possessing extraordinary stage charisma, she conquered the world's leading opera houses. The Opera Centre she founded in Moscow became a place where Vishnevskaya realized her ambitions as a teacher and stage director, passing on the great traditions of the performing arts to new generations of artists.
Galina Vishnevskaya began her artistic career at the age of seventeen at the Leningrad Regional Operetta Theatre. In the singer's own recollections, both the theatre and the genre became her first true school of life and a crucial stage in her professional development. Later, she spoke of her dream of establishing a classical operetta theatre in Moscow, one that would present works by Offenbach, Lehár, Zeller and Kálmán, as well as comic operas, and where, above all, audiences would hear “real voices.”
And it is precisely those voices that will be heard on November 10 in a concert by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Vishnevskaya's birth. The evening will bring leading soloists of the Moscow Operetta Theatre — Elena Zaitseva, Yulia Goncharova, Pyotr Borisenko, Alexander Babik and Maxim Katyrev — to the stage of the Svetlanov Hall at the Moscow International Performing Arts Center, performing a dazzling array of excerpts from classical operettas. The orchestra will be conducted by Konstantin Khvatynets, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Moscow Operetta Theatre.
The programme continues the collaboration between the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and this remarkable theatre company. Lyrical numbers featuring the principal characters will alternate with comic, fast-paced scenes, woven into a continuous dramatic arc. The theatrical production is directed by Pyotr Borisenko. Lavish costumes, an original lighting design and specially prepared choreography featuring the theatre's ballet ensemble will all contribute to creating an unforgettable theatrical extravaganza, bringing together inspired music, outstanding artistry, humour and elegance. Perhaps this is precisely the kind of theatre Galina Vishnevskaya dreamed of: a world of sincerity, theatrical brilliance and impeccable vocal culture. This concert will be not only a tribute to her memory, but also, in its own way, the realization of her dream.