23 January 1960, Banská Bystrica experienced important cultural event. In the prominent hall of the National House the artists of the new-based Opera Ensemble, section of the J. G. Tajovský Theatre, presented the opera Eva by J. B. Foerster. The characters were performed by Mária Urbanová as Eva and Viliam Boksa as Tóno. The opera was conducted by Ján Kende and directed by František Rell.
The State Opera is located in the building of the National House. The house was designed by Slovak architect Emil Beluš and built in 1927–1929. Thanks to its original architectonical structure was declared as the National memory.
The ensemble of the opera has its permanent soloists, chorus, orchestra and ballet. There began their solo carrier: Ľubica Orgonášová, Sergej Kopčák and the Opera Diva Edita Grúberová.
At the beginning there were performed works of the romantic genre (Faust and Marguerite, Rusalka, Un Ballo in Maschera, Il Trovatore, Don Carlos, La Traviata and the others). Presentation of the opera The Whirlpool (1960) by E. Suchoň ranked one of the important aims.
The State opera in Banská Bytrica got its reputation thanks to staging world opera pieces in Slovak premieres e.g.: Gounod: Roméo et Juliette (1965), Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur (1985), Donizetti: La favorite (1992), Verdi: Aroldo (1993), Ernani (1999), Atilla (2005), Bellini: I puritani (2001) and less known opera pieces by Giacomo Puccini (Edgar, La rondine).
The dramaturgy placed importance on presenting original opera pieces by Slovak composers as Tibor Andrašovan, Bartolomej Urbanec, Ilja Zelenka, Juraj Beneš, Igor Bázlik and the others.
The State Opera was invited to perform at many prestige Opera Festivals: Music festival in Bratislava, International music festival at Cyprus, International music festival “Janáčkovy Hukvaldy”, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Romania and Japan.