Sergey Sergeevich Novikov is a Russian artist, stage designer, costume designer, art director, and member of the Russian Geographical Society. He is a recipient of the Golden Sofit, the highest theater award in St. Petersburg, in the category «Best Artist’s Work,» and a two-time recipient of the Governor of Omsk Region’s Award for Contributions to the Development of Culture and the Arts (2012 and 2023), as well as a recipient of the Golden Knight, the 8th International Theater Forum (for the ballet «The Overcoat»).
The musical drama «Cranes Are Flying» was awarded the National Prize «The Musical Heart of the Theatre» in the category «Best Performance.» Sergey Novikov also won the XII International Slavic Music Forum «Golden Knight» in the category «Best Artist’s Work» for his performance «The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia» by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. Sergei Slonimsky’s opera «The Master and Margarita» at the D. D. Shostakovich Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, where Novikov served as the production designer, received the special «Maestro» award as part of the XXXI Russian National Theatre Award «Golden Mask».
Childhood and Education
Sergey Novikov was born on July 9, 1987, in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). At the age of five, he began studying at the art studio at the Saint Petersburg City Palace of Creativity for Young People, the famous Anichkov Palace.
Later, he enrolled in the Art and Aesthetics Lyceum at the St. Petersburg Art and Industrial Academy named after A. L. Stieglitz. In parallel with his studies at the Lyceum, he attended evening drawing classes at the Repin Academy of Arts.
After graduating from the Lyceum, Novikov became a non-degree student in the workshop of theater artist Eduard Stepanovich Kochergin at the St. Petersburg Repin Academy of Arts. After studying with Kochergin for a year, he entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Theatre Arts in the workshop of theatre artist Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Okunev, which he graduated with a degree in «Stage Designer of a Musical Theatre».
Career and major productions
As a stage designer and costume designer, Sergey Novikov has created more than 150 productions in theatres in Russia, Europe and the USA.
At the Mariinsky Theatre, he worked on Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera «The Golden Cockerel» (directed by Anna Matison, musical director Valery Gergiev), Richard Strauss’s opera «Ariadne auf Naxos» (directed by Sergey Novikov, musical director Valery Gergiev, 2024), and Vincenzo Bellini’s opera «Norma» (directed by Sergey Novikov, musical director Valery Gergiev, 2025).
The D. D. Shostakovich Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre presented Sergei Slonimsky’s opera «The Master and Margarita» directed by Yuri Alexandrov and conducted by Evgeny Khokhlov. In the Musa Jalil Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre, Novikov designed Prokofiev’s ballet «Cinderella».
At the Tchaikovsky State Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Udmurt Republic, he worked on Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera «The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia» (directed by Nikolai Markelov and conducted by Nikolai Rogotnev), as well as on the operas «La Traviata,» «Turandot,» Johann Strauss’s operetta «The Flying Mouse,» and the ballet «La Bayadère.»
At the Moscow Operetta Theatre, Sergey Novikov designed the musicals The Courtesan, The Empress’s Folly, the operetta Mr. X, and the ballet Cinderella.
International Projects
Novikov’s collaborations extend far beyond Russia’s borders. For the French production company Franceconcert, he designed the ballets Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Tales of Hoffmann. For the Astana Ballet Theatre in Kazakhstan, he performed the ballets Cleopatra (2015) and Cinderella (2019). In the Slovak State Opera in Banská Bystrica, he performed the opera Eugene Onegin. In the Russian Ballet Theatre in the United States, he performed the ballets Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and The Great Gatsby.
He also worked at the Omsk Music Theatre.
From 2010 to 2026, Sergey Novikov served as the Chief Artist of the Omsk State Musical Theatre, where he directed over forty productions. These included the ballet «Anna Karenina» based on Tchaikovsky’s music, the opera «Carmen» by Georges Bizet, the opera «Eugene Onegin» by Tchaikovsky, the operetta «The Merry Widow» by Franz Lehár, and many others.
Other Theatres and Notable Works
Sergey Novikov also collaborated with the St. Petersburg Musical Comedy Theatre, where he designed the productions The Mysterious Garden, Cox and Box in Court, Tom Sawyer, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Mousetrap, and The Mistress of the Copper Mountain.
In the Saratov Opera and Ballet Theatre, he designed the opera Peter the Great. In the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theatre, he designed the opera Prince Igor. At the Rostov State Music Theatre, you can see the operetta The Gypsy Baron, the opera Aida, the opera The Tsar’s Bride, and the musical Yesenin. At the L. Yakobson St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre, you can see the ballet Chamber Story. At the Irkutsk Music Theatre, you can see the rock opera Antigone and the musical drama Cranes Flying. At the St. Petersburg Theatre Workshop, you can see the plays Once in Elsinore. Digital Art and Digital Opera Festival
From 2022 to 2024 Sergey Novikov served as the Art Director of the Digital Opera Saint-Petersburg festival. Under his leadership, large-scale multimedia projects were held, including the show “Paradise of Peter the Great. Flood” at the Hermitage Theatre as part of the IV International Festival “Saint-Petersburg Digital Opera. Opera of the Digital Age”, as well as the Digital Opera Performance Gala “Tales of Pushkin. Life is a Miracle» at the St. Petersburg Musical Comedy Theatre.
Other Projects and International Recognition
In addition to his theatrical work, Novikov created the set design for the gala evening in honor of the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix (Formula 1), the set design for the festive concert in honor of the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence at the Astana Ballet Theatre (choreographed by David Avdysh), and the immersive show «The Nutcracker» (The Immersive Nutcracker), based on the fairy tales of E. T. A. Hoffmann and the ballet by Tchaikovsky, which opened on November 26, 2021, in Los Angeles.
In 2011, Sergey Novikov participated in the Prague Quadriennale with Prokofiev’s project «Love for Three Oranges.»
Recognition and the «Golden Fund»
Three performances featuring Sergey Novikov have been included in the Golden Fund of Russian Theatre Productions: Andrey Petrov’s opera «Peter the Great» (Saratov Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre), Franz Lehár’s operetta «The Merry Widow» (Omsk State Musical Theatre), and Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera «The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia» (State Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Udmurt Republic).
In 2023, Sergey Novikov participated in the ROSIZO art project «Portrait of Contemporary Russian Culture» at the «Our Culture» pavilion at the International Exhibition and Forum «Russia» at VDNKh, and in 2024, the project was showcased at the Media Center of the Zaryadye Park.