PRIMA DRAMA

Star Russian Soprano Anna Netrebko Sues Met Opera for Booting Her Out Over Ukraine War

Anna Netrebko is accusing the Met and its general manager of using her “as a scapegoat in their campaign to distance themselves from Russia and to support Ukraine.”

Famed Russian soprano Anna Netrebko is suing New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, seeking at least $360,000 in compensation for lost rehearsal and performance fees after the storied opera house dropped her in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Met parted ways with Netrebko, 51, last year after she refused to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin. In her complaint, Netrebko alleges she suffered “severe mental anguish and emotional distress” after the company’s decision, including “depression, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, and emotional pain and suffering.” Her lawsuit accuses the company and general manager Peter Gelb of discrimination, defamation, and breach of contract. “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the singer’s management told the Associated Press in a statement, “the Met and Peter Gelb have used Anna Netrebko as a scapegoat in their campaign to distance themselves from Russia and to support Ukraine.” The Met said in a statement that the lawsuit had “no merit.”