The theatre on Mikhailovsky square had a fate to be born twice and it is hard to say which of those dates is more significant for the theatre's history and formation.

On 8 November 1833 the first performance took place on the stage of the Imperial Mikhailovsky Theatre just built by the architect A. Briullov. The building, very well included in the architectural ensemble of the Mikhailovsky square, became the third Imperial stage in St. Petersburg. But unlike the Mariinsky and the Alexandrinsky Theatres, there was neither fixed company nor the definite sense of repertoire and genre purpose at the Mikhailovsky. At first the theatre building was mainly used as a concert hall. Though, in the course of the first years besides the dramatic plays performed by the Alexandrinsky Theatre's company or by French and German touring actors, the opera performances happened here. It caused an enlargement of the stage and auditorium. The reconstruction of the theatre building in 1859 made its inside dimensions adequate to the requirements of the large-scale opera and ballet performances. But it was a very long time till the musical performances would be firmly established on the Mikhailovsky Theatre's stage. The French and German dramatic companies, as rivals, performed here for many decades. The rare opera performances have been given by the Imperial Russian Opera (Mariinsky Theatre) on the Mikhailovsky's stage. Owing to the reparation of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1894, the opera performances became more frequent and within several years the Sunday opera performances traditionally took place. But soon that habit has been passed away.

The Russian opera turned in theatre's aesthetic creed. The assignment degree brought once again to revise the theatre's name because the epithet "Maly" (small) was not in accordance with the extent of ideas. In 1989 the opera house was renamed as St. Petersburg Mussorgsky State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Mussorgsky's name was not casually confered to the theatre. The production of "Boris Godunov" became the greatest and crucial success that confirmed the theatre's improvement on its way to replenish the Russian opera repertoire. Certainly, along with Russian classic masterpieces the European great operas are performed. Such a popular opera as " La Traviata" by Verdi attains here a new sonority and unforeseen freshness. The modern operas such as "Le Fou" by M. Landowsky, "Tartuffe" by K. Mechem were produced here. The company's repertoire also includes the operetta and one of the recent theatre's production, "Die Fledermaus" by Strauss, convincingly demonstrates the company's extensive range of expression.

The main proof of the company's high level is a world wide acknowledgment. The first opera company's tour abroad took place in 1984. Since that time the opera company successfully toured in Italy, England, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Japan, USA, Portugal, Germany. The company worthily presents the traditions and achievements of our opera art. From the experimental stage and opera laboratory the theatre developed into a creative organism with- considerable artistic faculty and became intrinsic part of culture heritage of St. Petersburg.