ONE of Europe's leading opera companies is visiting the region as part of its first UK tour.

More than 100 soloists, chorus members, musicians, technicians and ballet dancers from the Ukrainian National Opera of Odessa will present Verdi's La Traviata and Rossini's The Barber of Seville at Sunderland's Empire Theatre.

The tour will introduce performers who are renowned in other countries but are so far unknown in the UK, including singers Larysa Zuenko and Vasyl Navrotsky.

The company will be joined by Chisinau National Opera stars Petru Racovita, who has just finished singing Nabucco at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, and Elena Gherman, who last year won acclaim as Musetta in La Boheme and Liu in Turandot.

Odessa has a long tradition of opera, with its first opera house established in 1809.

It was visited by the poet Aleksandr Pushkin, who immortalised it in his epic work, Eugene Onegin. After the original venue burned down, a lavish new one, modelled on the Vienna Opera House, was built in its place.

Impresario Ellen Kent, on her 20th tour, said yesterday: "It is amazing that such an important company as the Ukrainian National Opera of Odessa has never toured the UK before.

"We are delighted to be bringing these shows to the Sunderland Empire Theatre for the first time.

"The company will be going from one historic theatre - their own - to another."

For tickets and information on La Traviata, taking place on June 13 and 14, and the Barber of Seville, on June 15, ring the box office, on 0191-514 2517.