Built by the Russians in 1932 (look for the Soviet stars on the columns), the State Opera & Ballet Theatre is the salmon-pinkish building on the southeast corner of Sükhbaatar Sq. On Saturday and Sunday evenings throughout the year, and sometimes also on weekend afternoons in the summer, the theatre stages stirring ballet and Mongolian-language opera. It's closed in August.
Mongolian original operas include Three Fateful Hills by famous playwright D Natsagdorj, and the more recent Chinggis Khaan, by B Sharav. Other productions include an exhilarating (but long) rendition of Carmen, plus plenty of Puccini and Tchaikovsky.
A board outside the theatre lists the shows for the current month in English. Advance purchase is worthwhile for popular shows because tickets are numbered, so it’s possible to score a good seat if you book early.