Latvian National Opera and Ballet

Latvian National Opera and Ballet is an internationally competitive arts centre which aims to develop and support the creative process, cultural enrichment and educational functions. The theatre’s stage regularly resounds with successful productions of classical operas and ballets, modern ballet and operatic masterpieces, children's performances, and original Latvian works.

In the course of a season that runs from September to June, Latvian National Opera and Ballet performs more than 230 performances, staging every season on average six new productions of both opera and ballet. Every year, the end of the performance season is marked by the Riga Opera Festival which was founded in 1998 as the first festival of its size and scale in Eastern Europe. The Latvian National Opera and Ballet was founded in 1918 and will celebrate its centenary in Season 2018/2019. The Head of the Board of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet is Zigmars Liepiņš, the Chief Conductor is Mārtiņš Ozoliņš, the Artistic Director of the Ballet, Aivars Leimanis.

The Latvian National Opera house is a stately, neo-classical building in central Riga, originally constructed as the Riga German Theatre in 1863 by architect Ludwig Bohnstedt.