Star soprano Anna Netrebko sues Met Opera over its decision to cut ties over Russia-Ukraine war

Famed soprano Anna Netrebko has initiated a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera and its general manager, Peter Gelb, after they chose to sever their ties with her following the military intervention of Russia in Ukraine. Once one of the Met’s major crowd-pullers, Netrebko alleges that the decision was a result of defamation, contract violation, and more.

Filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the suit seeks minimum damages of $360,000, accounting for unfulfilled performance and rehearsal fees. Netrebko argues that the Met’s actions led to serious psychological distress, including feelings of depression, humiliation, embarrassment, and anxiety.

In the wake of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine in February 2022, the Met promptly withdrew Netrebko from its future programs, as Gelb demanded she publicly condemn Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Netrebko’s management asserts that the Met and Gelb have wrongfully made her a scapegoat in their effort to dissociate from Russia and express their support for Ukraine.

However, the Met has firmly dismissed the merits of Ms. Netrebko’s lawsuit. Following the Met’s actions, the American Guild of Musical Artists lodged a complaint on Netrebko’s behalf, leading to arbitrator Howard C. Edelman’s ruling in February that the Met had breached the union’s collective bargaining agreement by cancelling contracts for her appearances in Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” “La Forza del Destino,” and Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” This led to a compensation award for the lost performances, calculated by the union to be $209,103.48.

Netrebko, who first appeared at the Met in 2002, was supposed to be paid the Met’s highest fee of $17,000 per performance as stated in the suit. Edelman’s verdict clarifies that Netrebko was not owed for her voluntary withdrawals from performances of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and Puccini’s “Turandot”.

The lawsuit further alleges a breach of contract for additional performances in the 2024-26 seasons and claims discrimination against Netrebko due to her national origin.

Netrebko’s suit contends that her reputation among audiences was damaged by Gelb and the Met’s actions, leading to protests against her performances and deterring other U.S. cultural institutions from hiring her, resulting in her selling her New York City apartment at a loss.

The suit also points to the negative consequences of the Met’s demand that Netrebko publicly denounce the Russian government’s actions, including cancellations of her contracts by Russian theatre companies, criticism from Russian audiences and media, and potential danger and retaliation from the Russian government.

Despite her absence from the U.S., Netrebko has continued to perform, recently opening Italy’s Arena di Verona’s 100th anniversary season with a new production of Verdi’s “Aida.” She has performances scheduled this month at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and during the 2023-24 season, she will be appearing at opera houses in Berlin, Vienna, Milan, and Paris.

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