The cultural landscape of the capital has reached a milestone that can, without exaggeration, be described as landmark: Astana Opera has acquired a new creative home. The stage at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation will officially open on 14 March with a ballet double bill featuring Michel Fokine’s Chopiniana and Raimondo Rebeck’s How Long Is Now?. The performances will be conducted by Ruslan Baimurzin.

“The launch of this additional venue was made possible through the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, the Astana City Akimat and the opera house’s partnership with the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. While this certainly expands our geographical reach, more importantly, it represents a strategic step in the development of the nation’s leading opera house. It will allow us to be even closer to our audience, more actively popularising the vast wealth of global musical art – including national works – while opening new opportunities for both performers and the public alike. We are further developing the expansion of our cultural environment,” emphasized Alexandr Sovostyanov, Astana Opera’s general director.

“The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is always open to productions that cater to the discerning tastes of the capital’s residents and visitors. We are confident that our partnership with Astana Opera will make a significant contribution to the development of the classical arts in the capital,” noted Narima Mukhambetalina, director of the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation.

The inaugural performance on the new stage – a compelling double bill of one-act ballets, Michel Fokine’s Chopiniana and Raimondo Rebeck’s How Long Is Now? – is set to establish an exacting artistic standard. This programme will serve as a hallmark for the project, blending the academic precision of Chopiniana, the stage energy of a new generation of performers (debuts of Akbar Iminov as the Young Man and Alina Zyryanova in the celebrated Seventh Waltz) and the innovative choreographic language of How Long Is Now? (Doskhan Zaidin’s debut as Youth). In curating this evening, artistic director of the ballet company Altynai Asylmuratova has brought together established principals and rising talents to mark the start of a new artistic era for the venue as a classical arts destination.

The opening of the new location significantly broadens the opera house’s capabilities. An increase in the number of events, formats and programmes makes the audience grow accordingly. Looking ahead, the venue is envisioned as a space for opera and ballet performances, gala concerts, special projects, educational initiatives aimed at introducing new audiences to classical art.

The ballet begins at 5pm.