Putin Loyalist Anna Netrebko Returns to Perform In United States

The Russian superstar Anna Netrebko will perform in the United States for the first time since 2019. Netrebko will headline a gala performance at the Palm Beach Opera in February.

Driving the news: This week, the Palm Beach Opera announced that the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko will headline its opera gala next February. It has been half a decade since the Russian superstar last graced the opera stages of the United States. Netrebko, once the darling of the Metropolitan Opera, has been shunned due to her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Opera houses around the world have been divided as to whether or not to re-engage the soprano, who has recently returned to a busy European schedule of performances.

In case you didn’t know…: When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the soprano Anna Netrebko expressed opposition to the war but refused to criticize President Vladimir Putin. Netrebko has spoken favourably of Putin since 2012, including sharing Instagram posts endorsing him in elections, and donating to Russian efforts to take over an opera house in Donetsk, Ukraine.

James Barbato, Palm Beach Opera’s director of artistic administration, described the soprano as a cultural icon whose return to the US is not to be missed. Tickets start at $1250 USD.

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Sara Schabas

Sara Schabas is a Dora-nominated soprano, writer and yoga teacher. She has performed and created leading roles with companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Dayton Opera, and Aspen Opera, and is a former member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists. Currently based in Montreal, she is a doctoral student at McGill University — where she recently received the Wirth Vocal Prize — and editor of Art Song Canada magazine.