MAER creates infrastructure to support high art in Russia

Opera and ballet will be able to meet the audience not only in the theater hall, but also in the urban environment — on digital media facades and on the news agenda. MAER became a communication partner of the Mariinsky Theatre, and the Rosbalt agency, which is part of the media holding with a 25-year history, became an information partner.

The agreement, signed in St. Petersburg with the participation of Valery Gergiev, the artistic director of the theater, and Konstantin Mayor, the owner and CEO of the IER, became part of the media holding's systematic work to create a platform for supporting theatrical art in Russia. MAER combines the possibilities of the digital urban environment and journalism to make people more likely to encounter masterpieces of classical art in everyday life.

Valery Gergiev, Artistic Director and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, stressed that cultural heritage should live not only in theaters and libraries, but also meet new audiences, including young people: "I think we will achieve a lot with the help of the MAER holding. And what our greatest predecessors created should not be gathering dust in libraries. This should reach out to people, including young people. Yes, we need to work here. Including us. And it will be done."

MAER's digital media facades and public spaces with a monthly audience of 61 million people can become a new point of contact with the world of theater. Rosbalt will tell you about what usually remains behind the scenes of the theater.: how productions are born, how artists live, and who determines the future of Russian ballet and opera today.

"For us, the partnership with the Mariinsky Theatre is a special event. We want art to go beyond the stage, onto city screens and media pages, and meet people in everyday life. The modern urban environment provides a unique opportunity to make culture understandable and familiar to everyone. I would like to thank the Mariinsky Theatre and Maestro Valery Abisalovich separately for their trust. I am sure that together we will attract a new audience," said Konstantin Mayor, owner and CEO of the MAER media holding.

For MAER, cooperation with the Mariinsky Theatre continues its systematic work to promote Russian cultural heritage through modern digital tools. In June 2026, the media holding signed a communications partnership agreement with the Bolshoi Theatre, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year.