Slovene National Theatre (SNG) Ljubljana - Opera and Ballet celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2002. Its neo-Classical building, which was designed by Czech architects Jan V Hrasky and Anton Hruby in 1892, is to be renovated with the addition of a new annex which will double the building’s size to 10,000 square metres. Work is scheduled for completion in late 2008.

As the central Slovene music theatre company, SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana stages an annual season of opera, ballet and concerts, plus some additional programmes featuring various classical and contemporary music theatre works. Each season around 150 performances by opera and ballet ensembles take place on the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana's own stage, at Cankarjev dom Culture and Congress Centre, at Ljubljana Fairgrounds and occasionally at theatre houses abroad.

The Ballet Company of SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana prepares on average three new performances per year. Guest dancers and choreographers are often invited to work with the company and various productions are staged in collaboration with overseas companies, eg Jean Christoph Blavier's 2003 production of Prokofiev's Cinderella and the 2004 production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, staged with the rich scenography and costumes of the English National Ballet. The 2004-2005 season celebrated the centenary of George Balanchine’s birth by staging his two Serenades, attracting both local and international acclaim. The same season also saw the production of Gagik Ismailian's Veronika Decides..., an original ballet adaptation after the novel by Paolo Coelho which is set in Ljubljana. Every year too a children's ballet performance or a ballet for youth audiences is included in the repertoire. The 2007-2008 season featured two ballet evenings: Yin&Yang and Mozart vs. Schumann.

The Opera Company of SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana also presents an annual programme of international opera featuring its own orchestra and regular appearances by visiting international guest conductors, directors or performers. The peak of the 2004-2005 opera season was the world premiere of Offenbach's opera Rhine Nymphs, produced by SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana in collaboration with the Cankarjev dom Culture and Congress Centre, Festspielhaus from Austria's St Poelten and a number of international authors. It was directed by Manfred Schweigkofler from the Bolzano Theatre, Italy, conducted by Dieter Rossberg of Germany and Igor Švara of SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, with Sandor Roman from Budapest as its choreographer. Over 200 costumes were designed by one of the leading Slovene theatre costume designers, Alan Hranitelj. The opera travelled to Switzerland, Austria and two German cities, Cologne and Trier. The 2007-2008 season featured three operas: Die Csárdásfürstin in co-production with Volkstheater Rostock, Carmen in collaboration with Slovene National Theatre (SNG) Maribor, and Puccini's Triptych in co-production with Croatian National Theatre of Zagreb.