Along with Moscow and St. Petersburg, Perm is a hallmark of Russian Opera and Ballet, and the Perm Tchaikovsky Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre deserves some credit for. Built in the late XIX century, it made a conquest of the local aristocracy by its very first performance, the opera "A Life for the Tsar". Since then, the performances here always draw capacity audience. Classical music is mostly performed here: Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Prokofiev, Mozart, Verdi and other famous composers.
During the war, the famous Leningrad Kirov Theatre (now the Mariinsky Theatre) was evacuated to the Perm State Academic Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre. Back then, colleagues from the northern capital helped the Permian artists to hone their own style. For two consecutive centuries now, local directors and choreographers manage to maintain a level of excellence, known far beyond Russia.