ASTANA Opera

Astana Opera is the state opera and ballet theatre in Astana, founded on the initiative of then President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The building on Kunayev Street was constructed from 2010 to 2013 under the direction of the Mabetex Group; specialists from 33 countries took part, and the cost was around 320 million US dollars. The architecture combines echoes of ancient Greek temples with Kazakh motifs, including frescoes of the Charyn Canyon and Burabay, and the main foyer is clad in Sicilian marble. The acoustics were designed by Enrico Moretti and Maria Cairoli. The Main Hall has 1,250 seats and an orchestra pit for up to 120 musicians, and the Chamber Hall 250 seats. It opened on 21 June 2013 with Mukan Tulebayev's opera Birzhan and Sara. Altynai Asylmuratova has directed the ballet since 2015.