From 28 June to 1 July Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre will be on tour in Germany; the highlight of the tour will be a concert marking the end of the Year of Russia and Germany 2012-2013

A photo exhibition marking People’s Artist of Russia Farukh Ruzimatov’s fiftieth birthday has opened in the Dress Circle Foyer of the Mariinsky Theatre

The day of the world premiere of Rodion Shchedrin’s opera The Lefthander at the Mariinsky-II also saw the opening of the Chamber Music Hall, named in honour of the composer

On 28 June Yuri Smekalov and Maria Shevyakova will be making their debuts as Espada and Mercedes in the ballet Don Quixote

On 25 June Ulyana Lopatkina will be making her debut as the Tsar-Maiden in the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse at the new stage of the Mariinsky Theatre

On 21 June Xander Parish will be making his debut as Demetrius in George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Mariinsky Theatre performers have been named prize-winners and diploma-recipients at the XII International Ballet Dancers’ and Choreographers’ Competition in Moscow

Valery Gergiev to dedicate a performance of Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung to the memory of the great Russian conductor

On 14 June tenor Khachatur Badalyan will be making his debut as Don José in Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen (production by Alexei Stepanyuk)

On 13 June mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk will be performing the role of Fricka in Richard Wagner’s opera Die Walküre for the first time at the new stage of the Mariinsky Theatre