Since its foundation in 1935 the Saransk Music Theatre has repeatedly changed its name from drama to opera. In the 90s the theatre was named after the famous Mordovian bass singer Illarion Yaushev who performed on the Saransk stage in the 1940s. During the Great Patriotic War in 1944 the theatre premiered the first opera in Mordovia.
Since 2011 the State Music Theatre named after I. Yaushev has been located in a new building. The hall is designed for 714 seats. The acoustics is perfect here, as the best specialists of Russia in this field worked on it. The new building was a gift of the city to the 75th anniversary of the troupe. According to the spectators, the scene is perfectly visible in the hall from any place. The impressive ballet performances "The Nutcracker", "Swan Lake" and "Carmen" as well as operas "The Bat" and "Maritsa" are in the repertoire of the theatre.