Honored Artist of Russia, soloist of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters, bass Ildar Abdrazakov has been appointed artistic director of the Sevastopol State Opera and Ballet Theater under construction. This was announced by the Minister of Culture of Russia Olsha Lyubimova in the telegram channel.
"I sincerely wish you success and inspiration for solving new creative tasks," she wished the artist.
Abdrazakov is a laureate of numerous Russian and international prizes in the field of culture and art, a member of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art of the Russian Federation.
"I am very grateful for the trust and will do my best to make the theater, the construction of which is in full swing in such a unique place, stand in line with the most famous venues in the world," the artist wrote on his social media page.
He also stressed that he was not going to end his solo career.
"I invite Anna Kasatkina to the post of director of the theater. I am sure that her successful experience in managing the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theater, as well as our joint work on projects of my Foundation, will provide a solid foundation for the new team," Abdrazakov added.
Recall that since December 2019, ballet dancer Sergei Polunin has been the director of the theater in Sevastopol.
The theater building is being erected on the territory of the future cultural cluster at Cape Khrustalny. The construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
As EADaily reported, in December last year, European musical theaters suspended Russian bass Abdrazakov from participating in performances, who took part in a meeting of voters to nominate Vladimir Putin for the presidency of Russia. On the stage of the Zurich Opera, Abdrazakov was supposed to perform the part of Mustafa in Gioachino Rossini's opera "The Italian Woman in Algeria." In Paris, he was to perform in the role of Don Quixote in the opera of the same name by Jules Massenet.