Anna Netrebko demands $360,000 from the Metropolitan Opera for cancellation of performances

Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko has filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York demanding $360,000 against the Metropolitan Opera for canceled performances after Russian troops entered Ukraine. She stated that the actions of the theater caused her “great mental anguish and emotional distress”, including “depression, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, as well as emotional pain and suffering,” reports AP.

The lawsuit concerns canceled performances that were previously scheduled for 2024–25. Mrs. Netrebko believes that the violation of agreements is discrimination based on nationality. In her opinion, the statements of the theater director Peter Gelb had a negative impact on the attitude towards her among the audience and led to the fact that other theaters avoided cooperation with her. The theater’s demand to speak out against the Russian leadership caused criticism of the singer at home, the lawsuit says. It is also alleged that the theater’s decisions forced her to sell her apartment in New York unprofitably and caused her “significant moral damage.”

The Metropolitan Opera believes that there are no grounds for Ms. Netrebko’s claim.

New York court earlier in 2023 awarded Anna Netrebko compensation of $ 200 thousand from the Metropolitan Opera for the cancellation of performances in 2022. The theater management believed that it had the right to cancel performances, as the singer refused to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for his decision to launch a military operation in Ukraine.

Leonid Uvarchev