The Director General and Artistic Director of the Moscow State Opera and Ballet Theatre for Young Audience named after Natalia Sats
Was born in Yerevan (Armenia), graduated from Yerevan music school as violinist, composer and musicologist.
In 1991 he graduated from the Music Theatre Department at the Moscow State Academy of Theatre Arts under 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 a director. That position he held till 1996, when he was appointed the Head Director of Perm Opera House.
In 2003 the International Festival Djagilev Seasons: Perm-Petersburg-Paris was created based on his initiative.
In 2010 he became the Intendant 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)
The “Golden Mask” National Theatre Award Laureate.
The Perm and Sverdlovsk Governor’s 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 at the Moscow State University of Theatre Arts (GITIS).
Once he became the Intendant and the Artistic Director of the Moscow State Opera and Ballet Theatre for Young Audi¬ence named after Natalia Sats in 2010, Georgiy Isaakyan reinstated his authority of a discoverer, who is capable of carefully handling the classics, so that they sparkle with new colors.
On the stage of Natalia Sats Theatre he made the following productions:
— The Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev (2011) — Golden Mask Prize Laureate 2012,
— Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo by Emilio de’ Cavalieri (2012) — Golden Mask Prize Laureate 2013,
— The Edible Fairytales by contemporary composer Mikhail Bronner (2013),
— Carmen by Bizet (2013),
— the opera-ballet The Golden Cockerel by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (2013),
— Alcina, or Magic Island by George Frideric Handel (2014),
— an interactive media performance The Orchestra Rehearsal, based on the famous film by Federico Fellini (2014),
— world premiere of the musical The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Oliver Twist by A.Tchaikovsky (2014),
— Love Kills, concert version of the Juan Hidalgo de Polanko opera “Celos Aun del Aire Matan“ (2016)
Since 2014 he has been the President of the Association of the Music Theatres of Russia.
At the last General Assembly of the Opera Europa Georgiy Isaakyan has been elected a member of the Opera Europa Board — the leading service organisation for professional opera companies and opera festivals throughout Europe. It currently serves 155 member companies from 39 different countries. The Opera Europa Board is the governing body of the association and seeks to represent its members in all their diversity as best possible.
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, Ufa), “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), ”Paganini” by Franz Lehár and ”Faust” by Charles Gounod (Rostov State Music Theatre), ‘’The Petty Demon” by Alexander Zhurbin (The Moscow Chamber Music Theatre), ”Hercules” by G.F. Handel (Bashkir State Opera Theatre), ”The Magic Flute” by W.A.Mozart (Music Theatre of Karelia), “La Boheme” by G.Puccini (Novaya Opera Theatre), “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” (Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre).
For the series “Pushkin at the Opera”: 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 he was awarded the Russian Federation State Prize — the highest prize in Russian culture.
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)
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)
— “Keistutes et Birute” by A.Skryabin
— The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Oliver Twist by A.Tchaikovsky (2014),
— At the Yelets city open-air stage Georgiy 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.
Georgiy 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 and in 2013 for “La Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo” by Emilio de Cavalieri .