Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre - Foundation of The Theater

Foundation of The Theater

The foundation of the Tbilisi State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet was the consequence of the political and cultural processes in the country after its annexation by the Russian Empire. The Chief Governor of the Caucasus, appointed in Georgia in 1844, the general, field marshal and diplomat Mikhail Vorontsov, put in train many cultural enterprises. Amongst the most important was introduction of interest in opera. The first opera performance was on September 20, 1845. Performances took place twice a week, and mainly comprised vaudevilles and comedies. Vorontsov also invited artists from the Imperial Theatre. Later, some performances were also given in the Georgian language.

On the initiative of Vorontsov on 15 April 1847 there were laid the foundations of the building of the opera theatre, which took 4 years under the guidance of the Italian Architect, Antonio Scudieri bering completed in 1851. The theatre was built on the central square of the city of Tbilisi (the modern Liberty Square, the territory next to the municipality). Given the varied musical practices and traditions in Tbilisi, the opera theater became an important heart of the cultural life of the country. It was the first opera theater in all Transcaucasia, holding 800 spectators, and notable by its façade and interior, comparable to European theaters of the time