The last month of 2023 will be of interest for attentive spectators who follow the professional growth of the artists of the Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. There are a lot of debut performances expected in December.

In the opera Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the singer Anatoly Badaev who only joined the company this season will make his debut as Prince Gremin on December 1 and 2. But this will be his Krasnoyarsk debut: he has already performed this part on the Primorsky stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, as well as the part of Konchak. The Krasnoyarsk debut of Anatoly Badaev in the part of Khan will take place on a significant date: December 20, the 45th anniversary of the Theatre. Alexander Borodin’s opera Prince Igor is the landmark production of the Theatre and is traditionally performed the day the Theatre was founded.

Anatoly will also have his third debut in December: in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aida he’ll sing Priest Ramfis (December 16); and it’ll really be the first performance of the part for the singer. This opera will feature a significant number of debuts. On December 16, Anna Avakyan will appear for the first time in the title role that is significant for any singer. Daria Frolova and Olga Monastyrshina will take the stage as Priestesses for the first time (December 15 and 16), Pavel Antsiferov - as Amonasro (December 16). The guest role of Amneris will be performed by a soloist of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre Yekaterina Lukash, and this will also be a debut for her. In the ballet episode of Aida, Sakiho Kobayashi will appear for the first time in the Dance of Slaves, Denis Kazarin - as a warrior.

In the children's show Terem-Teremok (staged as part of the Family as a Gift project with the participation of young artists from orphanages), opera company trainee Yuri Zabolotnov will perform the part of the Hedgehog for the first time. It’ll be his debut on the stage of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre in general.

The December shows of Valery Gavrilin’s ballet Anyuta are especially abundant with the debut performances. Nikita Lysenko will dance for the first time the spectacular part of Modest Alekseevich on the 8th of December. Georgy Bolsunovsky will make his debut in the role of the Student (December 8), and Vasilina Skurikhina and Anastasia Nigmatulina - the female students (December 7 and 8, respectively). Aliona Alekseenko and Arina Osipyuk will take the stage as fiery Gypsies for the first time on December 7, Aliona Zyabkina and Liliya Petrakovskaya - on December 8. Ruslan Abolmasov will dance the Officers Pas de Deux on December 8.

In the ballet Dante's Catharsis on December 21, there will only be one debut - Ksenia Lyapina as Androgyne. But there will be a lot of them in the ballet Nutcracker by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. We will talk about the debutants in our favourite New Year's ballet later, since the cast list is still being drawn up.