Prague government cancels performance by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko

A scheduled performance by Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko in the Czech capital has been canceled over political pressures as Russia wages war on Ukraine , Czech officials said Thursday. The announcement came days after the Prague government said that all its coalition parties ‘unequivocally’ opposed the concert, calling it ‘insensitive.’ Prague’s Municipal House, where Netrebko’s Oct. 16 performance was to take place, and the Nachtigall Artists Management, an agency that organized it, have agreed on the cancellation. The soprano won’t demand compensation, the organizing agency confirmed. The Czech Republic has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine during the war. The governing coalition in Prague is made up of the same political parties that comprise the Czech government. Netrebko sued the Metropolitan Opera in New York City over its decision to cut ties with her last year for refusing to repudiate her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin . Her 2023-24 season includes engagements with Berlin’s Staatsoper unter den Linden, the Vienna State Opera, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and the Paris Opera.