Vladimir Urin Named as Bolshoi Director, Iksanov Removed

Vladimir Urin, head of Moscow’s Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater, will replace Anatoly Iksanov as head of the Bolshoi in an attempt to end a battle for control that escalated this year with an acid attack on the ballet company’s artistic director.

“I’m not planning any revolutions,” Urin, 66, said today during a briefing on national television with Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky and Iksanov. “It is very important that this transfer from one manager to another happens in a civilized arena, in a normal, calm and businesslike manner.”