Famed Russian soprano Anna Netrebko will no longer perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City this season or next after she refused to publicly distance herself from Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a statement from the Met, according to CNN.
In 2014, Netrebko made a large donation to an opera house in Donetsk, a city in Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, according to a report by the New York Times. After she made the donation, she was pictured holding a Novorossiyan flag, which is used by separatist groups.
“It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera,” the company’s general manager, Peter Gelb, said in a statement to CNN. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine there was no way forward.”
Netrebko was scheduled to perform in Puccini’s “Turandot” this spring, as well as Verdi’s “Don Carlo” next season.
Ukranian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska will replace her in “Turandot” and her replacement in “Don Carlo” will be announced at a later date, according to the Met.
Netrebko had issued statements critical of the war, but has not publicly commented on Putin.
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