Dmitry Bertman Director Dmitry Bertman was born in Moscow and he graduated from the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts with a specialization in “Musical Theatre Stage Director” (training course of Professor G. Ansimov). Bertman is the People’s Artist of the Russian Federation (2005), three times winner of “Zolotaya Maska (Golden Mask)” National Theatre Award (1998, 1999, 2001), thrice winner of the Union of Theatre Workers’ Award “Gvozd Sezona” (2003, 2004, 2005), winner of Stanislavsky Prize (2005), Moscow City Government Prize (2007), State Prize of Estonia and the Prize of the Estonian Theatre Union (2008). He has been awarded the Order of Friendship, the Order of Academic Palms (Officer), the Maltese Cross, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana. Being a student Dmitry Bertman put on a series of musical and drama performances plays in the theatres of Russia and Ukraine, and in 1990 he founded a musical theatre Helikon-Opera in Moscow, which was granted the status of a national theatre in 1993 and soon became one of the most famous Russian opera brands. The theatre is constantly on tour throughout Russia and abroad, cooperates with significant opera agencies and takes part in various festivals. Dmitry Bertman has staged over hundred performances, including a number of Russian and world premieres. Besides his persistent activities in Helikon-Opera, the theater director is also consistently involved in the work under the world opera projects. Bertman’s productions are on the stages of the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), the Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre (Stockholm), the Mariinsky Theatre (Saint-Petersburg), the Et Cetera Theatre (Moscow), the Vishnevskaya Opera Singing Center (Moscow), the Premiere Theatre (Krasnodar), the Latvian National Opera (Riga), the Rome Opera House (Italy), the Estonia Theatre (Tallinn), the Music and Convention Center (Strasbourg, France), the Heydar Aliyev Palace (Baku, Azerbaijan), the NorrlandsOperan (Umea, Sweden), Helsinki (Finland), the Istanbulian Opera (Turkey), the Natalya Sats Children’s Musical Theater (Moscow), the Dijon Opera and the Opera de Massy (France), The Malmo Opera House (Sweden), Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the National Theatre Mannheim (Germany), the Volksoper (Wien, Austria), the New Zealand Opera (Auckland), the Vanemuine Theatre (Tartu, Estonia). His productions were included in the festival programs in Wexford (Ireland), Ludwigsburg (Germany), Merida and Santander (Spain). Dmitry Bertman has been a teacher of the Bern Opera Studio (Switzerland) since 1994, the Art Director of the workshop since 1996, the Chairperson and Professor of the Musical Theatre Directing and Stagecraft Department of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts since 2003. He also gives master classes in Russia and abroad. Bertman is the author of many articles and scientific works. He often is invited as a jury member in various international opera contests, has been a regular jury member of the Belvedere Singing Competition (Austria). For many years Bertman has been closely cooperating with Kultura TV-channel, being the director and participant of many TV-programs. On October 23, 2011 by resolution of the 6th (20th) Congress of the Theatre Union of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Bertman was unanimously elected the Secretary of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation. In 2012 he joined the Culture Counsel under the Chairperson of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. In October 2014, Dmitry Bertman staged a historic concert at the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia - Elena Obraztsova Opera Ball, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the great singer. The concert featured the world opera stars Anna Netrebko, Maria Guleghina, Jose Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yuzif Eivazov, Olga Peretyat'ko and others. Together with the outstanding artists the choir of "Helikon-Opera" took part in the show at the Bolshoi Theatre. In January 2015 artsts of "Helikon-Opera" took part in a joint project of "Helikon-Opera" and Moscow State Philharmonic, "Demon" by A. Rubinstein with participation of Dmitry Khvorostovsky, Asmik Grigoryan and Alexander Tsymbaluk, as well as the State Orchestra of Russia named after Eugene Svetlanov under Mikhail Tatarnikov. The stage director of the performance was Dmitry Bertman. In November 2015, the solemn gala concerts were held in Stravinsky Hall in honor of the Grand Opening of historical stage of Helikon-opera theatre under Dmitry Bertman. The friends of the theatre, world opera stars Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Olga Borodina, Alexander Antonenko, Olga Guryakova, Vasily Ladyuk, Boris Statsenko, Veronika Dzhioeva, Hasmik Grigoryan, Elena Zelenskaja and Inva Mula, performer of the famous aria of Diva Plavalaguna in the cult film "The Fifth Element", congratulated Helikon-opera and it Artistic Director Dmitry Bertman with the long-awaited opening. The first performance staged by Dmitry Bertman after the return of his Helikon-Opera theatre to Bolshaya Nikitskaya were "Sadko" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov's, "Eugene Onegin" by P. I Tchaikovsky (re-creation of the legendary Stanislavsky performance of 1922). In March of 2016 the long-awaited premiere of "The Rake's Progress" by Igor Stravinsky in Dmitry Bertman's production was performed on stage of the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. In April 2016, the premiere of "The Golden Cockerel" opera by Rimsky-Korsakov took place at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Germany). In June 2016 Dmitry Bertman staged "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" by D. Shostakovich on stage of the Municipal Theatre of São Paulo in Brazil (co-production of São Paulo and Helikon-Opera theatre). Bertman's upcoming productions in 2017 are Puccini's "Turandot" and Verdi's "Il Trovatore". .