London Demonstrators Denounce Royal Opera House for Hosting Russian Soprano Singer

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden over the weekend to protest upcoming performances by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, a singer long associated with the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin.

The Gaze reports this, referring to Radio Liberty.

Netrebko is scheduled to appear in four performances of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, beginning on September 11. 

Tickets for all shows have already sold out, underscoring her continued popularity among opera audiences despite the controversy surrounding her political ties.

Demonstrators waved Ukrainian flags and carried placards condemning the Royal Opera House for allowing Netrebko to perform. 

“Being English, I feel ashamed of the hypocrisy of the Royal Opera, and of how they have betrayed Ukraine. It is a disgrace for the British nation,” said protester Stephen Lacey, who argued that Russian artists close to the Kremlin should not be celebrated while Ukrainian performers “are sacrificing their lives.”

Netrebko’s critics point to her longstanding ties to Moscow. She served as a trusted representative for Putin during the 2012 presidential election and in 2014 was photographed with former Ukrainian politician Oleh Tsaryov holding the flag of the self-proclaimed “Novorossiya.” 

That same year, she visited occupied Donetsk and made a donation to a local theater, drawing sharp condemnation from Kyiv and Western officials.

Although Netrebko later declared her opposition to Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, many cultural figures argue her statements have been too little, too late.

The controversy has drawn international attention. Several dozen prominent writers, philosophers and artists from across Europe and beyond signed an open letter demanding that Netrebko be removed from the Tosca production. The opera is being conducted by Czech maestro Jakub Hrůša.

Institutions elsewhere have already acted: the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and New York’s Metropolitan Opera both cancelled contracts with Netrebko in response to earlier protests. The Royal Opera House, however, has stood by its decision to proceed with her London appearances.

As The Gaze reported earlier, European Commissioner for Culture Glenn Micallef called on European theaters to reject performers who support Russia’s war against Ukraine, following reports of a gradual reintroduction of controversial Russian artists onto leading stages across Europe.