The General and Artistic Director of the Moscow State Opera and Ballet Theatre for Children and Young Audience named after Natalia Sats.
Was born in Yerevan (Armenian Republic), graduated from Yerevan music school as violinist, composer and musicologist.
In 1991 he graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Theatre Arts (course of Professor V. Kurochkin). In 1989-1991 worked as professor of the department of opera singing and directing at the Yerevan State Conservatoire, where he staged his graduation work – opera “Anush” by A.Tigranyan.
In 1991 he joined the Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after P. Tchaikovsky as an opera director. That position he held till 1996, when he was appointed the Principal Director of Perm Opera House.
At 2003 Georgiy Isaakyan establishes and becomes the Artistic director of the International Festival “Djagilev seasons: Perm-Petersburg-Paris”.
Since 2010 Georgiy Isaakyan is the General and Artistic Director of the Moscow State Opera and Ballet Theatre for Children and Young Audience named after Natalia Sats.
Honoured Art Worker of Russia.
The State Prize of the Russian Federation Laureate.
The Government Prize of the Russian Federation Laureate (Feodor Volkov Prize) for the contribution to the development of the Russian theatrical art.
The “Golden Mask” National Theatre Award Laureate.
The Perm and Sverdlovsk Governors Prize Laureate (for the contribution to culture).
“Ballet” Magazine’s Prize Laureate in the nomination “The Knight of Ballet”.
The professor of the Music Theatre Department’s workshop at the Moscow State University of Theatre Arts (GITIS).
Performances, staged by Georgiy Isaakyan at the Moscow State Opera and Ballet Theatre for Children and Young Audience named after Natalia Sats:
— “The Love for Three Oranges” by S. Prokofiev (premiere took place on 23.06.2011). This performance was nominated for the Golden Mask Award in 4 nominations and received the Golden Mask Award in the “The Best Opera Director” nomination. Set designers of the performance Philipp Vinogradov and Valentina Ostankovich have been awarded with the special prize;
— “La Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo” by Emilio de Cavalieri (premiere took place on 07.06.2012). Last autumn performance received 4 nominations for the “Golden Mask” Award: “Opera best production”, “Opera best director”, “Opera best conductor”, “Music theatre best designer”,
— “Carmen” by George Bizet. Moscow premiere took place on 14.12.2012.
At different theatres Georgiy Isaakyan has staged the following opera productions:
— “Peter and the Wolf” by S. Prokofiev (Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre)
— “How They Switched On the Night” by S.Banevich (Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre).
— “The Three Faces of Love” (one-act XXth century operas, included: “El Retablo de Maese Pedro” by M.de Falla, “Maddalena” by S.Prokofiev, “Les Mammelles de Tiresias” by F.Poulenk)
— “Iolanta” by P.Tchaikovsky (Ekaterinburg Opera House)
— “Pique Dame” by P.Tchaikovsky (Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theatre)
— “Pique Dame” by P.Tchaikovsky (Perm)
— “Mazeppa” by P.Tchaikovsky (Ekaterinburg)
— “Eugeni Onegin” by P.Tchaikovsky (Rostov-on-Don Opera)
— “Kastchey the Immortal” by N.Rimsky-Korsakov (Perm)
— “The Flying Dutchman” by R.Wagner (Perm)
— “Cosi fan tutte” by W.A.Mozart (Perm)
— “Pushkin in Opera” (three — evening cycle):
I. “Boris Godunov“ by M. Mussorgsky
II.“ The Feast in the Time of Plague” by C. Cui and “The Stone Quest” by A. Dargomyzhsky
III. “The Covetous Knight” by S. Rakhmaninov and “ Mozart and Sagliery” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov
This production was awarded the State Premium of Russian Federation (the highest prize in Russian culture):
— “Noye’s Fludde” by B.Britten (Perm)
— “Rigoletto” by G.Verdi (Perm)
— “Cavalleria rusticana” by P.Mascagni (Perm)
— Three one-acts operas “Women stories” (Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre)
— “Carmen” by George Bizet (Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre)
— “La forza del destino” by G.Verdi (Stanislavsky Music Theatre, Moscow)
— “Keistutes et Birute” by A.Skryabin (world premiere at Helikon Opera, Moscow)
— “Prince Igor” by A. Borodin (S-Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre)
— “Rusalka” by A.Dvorak (Ekaterinburg Opera House)
— “Otello” by G.Verdi (Tcheboksary State Opera Theatre)
— “The Sevastopol Waltz” by K.Listov (Omsk Music Theatre)
— “The Tsar’s Bride” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov (Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre)
— “Aida” by. G.Verdi (Tcheljabinsk Opera House)
— “Der Zigeunerbaron” by J.Strauss (Ekaterinburg Operetta theatre)
— “Ambassadors of the Ural” by Z.Ismagilov (Bashkir State Opera Theatre, Ufa)
— “Prince Igor” by A.Borodin (Tcheljabinsk Opera House)
— “La Boheme” by G.Puccini (Samara Theatre of Opera and Ballet)
— “Cosi fan tutte” by W.A.Mozart (Ufa)
Staged the following productions abroad:
— “Madama Butterfly” by G.Puccini, Opera Ireland, Dublin
— “Die Fledermaus” by J.Strauss (Latvian National Opera, Riga)
— “Don Carlo” by G.Verdi (Sakai-city-opera, Osaka, Japan)
— “La Boheme” by G.Puccini (Belarus State Opera, Minsk)
— “Almast” by A.Spendiarov (Yerevan National Opera)
The Russian premieres of the following operas:
— “Cendrillon” by J.Massenet (2001)
— “Lolita” by R.Schedrin (2003)
— “Bestiarium” by A.Schetinsky (2004)
— “Alcina” G.F. Handel (2005)
— “L’Orfeo” by Claudio Monteverdi (2007)
World premieres:
— “Chertogon” by N.Sidelnikov (2007)
— “Christus” by A.Rubinstein 2008)
— “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” by A. Tchaikovsky (2009)
— “Pater Noster” by Georg von Albrecht (2011)
At the Yelets city open-air stage G. Isaakyan has staged opera “The Legend of the Ancient Town of Yelets, the Virgin Mary and Tamerlane” (by A. Tchaikovsky) that became the world premiere of this piece.
G. Isaakyan was the Artistic Director of the “Opera/GULAG” — the joint project of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Museum of Political Repression “Perm-36″. In the frame of this project he has staged opera “Fidelio” by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Performances staged by Georgiy Isaakyan many times became laureates of the prestigious awards, seven times have been nominated for the Golden Mask National Theatre Award. In 2009 Georgiy Isaakyan received the Golden Mask Award for his production “L’Orfeo” by Claudio Monteverdi (in the nomination “The best opera director”), and in 2012 he became laureate of this award as the best opera director for his performance “The Love for Three Oranges” by S. Prokofiev (the Moscow State Opera and Ballet Theatre for Children and Young Audience named after Natalia Sats).