The Opera and Ballet Theatre of Odessa is rightly considered to be one of the most beautiful Opera Houses in the world. After the original City Theatre ,build according to the plan of Toma de Tomana and erected under the direction of an Odessan architect, Frapolli, was destroyed in a blaze, an international competition was held to select as architect to rebuild the Theatre.

The project of two Viennese architects, Felner and Gelmer ,was selected. Construction lasted three years from 1884-1887. The magnificent facades are in the Viennese baroque style. The walls of the lower levels feature Doric columns, while the boxes and windows of the upper tiers are framed by pilasters and Ionic half-columns. The central ball, foyer and main staircases are lavishly sculpted.
The orchestra ,boxes and three tiers hold upwards of 1500 people. The ceiling is painted and gilded. The painted scenes on the ceiling are the work of the Viennese artist Lefler. The imposing bronze and crystal chandelier weighs over a ton.

The Theatre itself is interesting not only by us architecture, but by its rich creative biography. The great merit in the development of musical culture in the south of our country belongs, to this theatre. P.Tchaikovsky, N.Rimsky-Korsakov, S.Rachmani- noff, Ezhen Izai, Pablo Sarasate and others performed their works. There appeared on the stage the actors, who glorified the home art/ the great singers: Fyodor Shalyapin, Solomiya Grushelnitskaya, Antonina Nezhdanova, Leonid Sobinov,
Tito Ruffo, Batistini, Jeraldoni sang here, Anna Pavlova, the first world ballet- clancer, had been dansing here.

In 1926 the theatre was awarded the title of "Academic". The theatre ballet group consists of 50 people. Among them such Hnored ballet dances of Ukraine as Andrey Musorin and Yelenaa Kamenskih - the participants of the Farewell Tour of Rudolf Nuriyev, and others. "Jizelle", "Sleeping Beauty", "Nut-Cracker", "Don Quihote", "Chopiniana", "Un Ballo in Maschera", "Hunchback Horse", "Carmen-Suite" are in the repertoire of the theatre. The ballet dancers were touring in Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Ceylon, China, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, South Korea, Italy, Spain and Portugal - with Maya Plisetskaya and in Indonesia, Switzerland, Sweden and other countries. The opera singers troupe consists of 40 people.

They are National artists of Ukraine - Lyudmila Shirina, Anatoliy Boyko, Anatoliy Kapustin and Vladimir Tarasov, the Honoured artists of Ukraine: Anisimova Tatyana, Irina Berlizova and Nataja Yutesh, Pavel Yermolenko, Laureates of International Contests. Viktor Mityushkin, Shalva Mukeria, Natlja Shvchenko, Ruslan Zinevich and others.

There are 25 operas, such as "Carmen", "Aida", "Il Trovatore", "La Traviata", "Cavaleria Rusticana", "I Pagliacci", "Iolanta", "Madam Batterfly", Rigoletto", and jthers are in the repertoire of theatre. The theatre opera singers were appearing on the stages of Spain, Italy, France, Finland, Japan, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Belgium, Greece and the individual opera soloists - practically in all the countries of the world.