In April, Mikhail Leontiev, a conductor of the Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, will take to the conductor’s stand as a guest maestro on two Russian prestigious stages.

On April 13, Leontiev is invited to the Buryat State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Ulan-Ude to conduct Georges Bizet’s iconic opera Carmen.

Just a few days later, on April 17, he’ll conduct the celebrated Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society. The soloist for the evening will be Ilya Papoyan—one of Russia’s most sought-after young pianists, and a laureate of both the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition and the 1st International Rachmaninoff Competition for pianists, composers, and conductors. The programme will feature piano concertos by Alexander Scriabin, Franz Liszt’s Totentanz (Dance of Death), and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

Back in Krasnoyarsk, Leontiev is actively involved as assistant conductor in preparations for the world premiere of Alexander Tchaikovsky’s opera To Love in Wartime based on the writings of war veteran and writer Viktor Astafyev. The production will debut on May 1. Later in May, Leontiev will return to the conductor’s stand for two more shows at the Krasnoyarsk Theatre: Léo Delibes’ opera on May 11, and Longing for What’s Real, a music and literature project created in collaboration with a St. Petersburg-based artistic team, on 17 and 18 May.