A graduate of the Oleksandr Korniychuk Kyiv State Institute of Culture (now the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts), Nadiia Babich headed the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Odesa Regional State Administration for more than seven years. She was the founder of numerous cultural and artistic projects and large-scale cultural initiatives, as well as the author of regional programmes for cultural development.
Since 2010, Nadiia Babich has served as the Director General and Artistic Director of the Odesa National Opera. During her tenure, the theatre’s repertoire has been almost completely renewed; more than 50 new opera and ballet productions, as well as concert programmes, have been created. Among them are Turandot by G. Puccini, Aida and La Traviata by G. Verdi, Don Giovanni by W. A. Mozart, Carmen by G. Bizet, L’elisir d’amore by G. Donizetti, Viy by V. Hubarenko (opera-ballet), The Mystery of the Viennese Woods to music by J. Strauss and G. Mahler, Don Quixote by L. Minkus, Pearls of World Ballet (an evening of one-act ballets), and others.
For young audiences, the theatre has staged the opera The Emerald City and the ballet performance The Birth of a Ballerina. The repertoire has also been enriched with major vocal-symphonic works, including the scenic cantata Carmina Burana by C. Orff, Requiem by G. Verdi, the oratorio Elijah by F. Mendelssohn, the choral opera Christmas Action by L. Dychko, Symphony No. 9 by L. van Beethoven, among others.
Under the artistic leadership of Nadiia Babich, the theatre has realised significant cultural projects, including 20 large-scale and unique festivals, such as To the 125th Anniversary of the Theatre’s Opening – the Architectural Masterpiece of Fellner & Helmer; the International Arts Festival at the Odesa Opera (2012, 2013); the Christmas Festival (2012–2019); and the International Arts Festival Velvet Season at the Odesa Opera (2015–2020), among others.
An important contribution to the theatre’s development was the establishment in 2012 of the Theatre Museum and the Chamber Performance Space – the Belétage Small Stage. In 2014, the restoration of the theatre organ was completed, opening new artistic opportunities for the Odesa Opera.
In 2021, Nadiia Babich became the originator of the idea and the founder of the production of a new contemporary version of the opera Kateryna by O. Rodin, based on the creative legacy of Taras Shevchenko. Its premiere took place on 17 September 2022 and became the only premiere production in Ukraine that was prepared and staged during the period of martial law. According to reviews by the artistic community and professional critics, musicologists, and theatre scholars, Kateryna marked a new stage in the theatre’s further development and laid the foundation for a new school of contemporary Ukrainian opera.
For her significant contribution to the development of spiritual culture and the promotion of Ukraine’s cultural and artistic heritage worldwide, Nadiia Babich was awarded the honorary title Honoured Worker of Culture of Ukraine in 2009. In 2020, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olha, 3rd Class.
“For me, it is a great honour and responsibility to lead the world-renowned and universally beloved Odesa Opera, as it is rightfully the calling card of Odesa. Federico Fellini, in his film Orchestra Rehearsal, draws parallels between an orchestra and the state: if something in the orchestra ‘does not work’, there will be no music. I strive to organise the theatre’s work following the model of an ideal orchestra. Today, despite ever-changing circumstances, it is critically important to preserve what is our heritage and pride, to treat our great cultural legacy with love and respect, organically combining it with the challenges of the present, to experiment and to move forward despite all risks and challenges,” says Nadiia Babich about her mission as Director General and Artistic Director of the world-famous Odesa Opera.