Ildar Abdrzakov has been removed from the Teatro Filarmonico’s 2026 season.

The company said, “Ildar Abdrazakov will not take part in the opera ‘Don Giovanni,’ scheduled at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona from 18 to 25 January 2026.”

The bass was expected to open the 2026 season as Don Giovanni.

The news comes after the organization faced backlash from political figures like Pina Picierno and the Alexei Navalny Foundation, who called for Bass’ dismissal from the theater.

Since the war in Ukraine began, Abdrazakov has been an open supporter of Putin, having endorsed him in 2023. He was later named a Member of Russia’s Presidential Council, received the Russian State Prize, and performed at the BRIC summit. He is also the General Director of the Sevastopol State Opera and Ballet Theater, which is a Kremlin-ordered cultural complex that was constructed on the southern tip of the peninsula. It is located alongside one of the Soviet Union’s largest war monuments and is a symbol of Russia’s defiance of punitive measures imposed following its 2014 seizure of the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula and ongoing involvement in the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Following his endorsement of Putin, Abdrazakov was canceled from his contracts at the Teatro San Carlo in January 2025 and has been banned from major stages in the United States, Paris, Zurich, and Vienna. He also saw contracts canceled with the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia and split ties with his management, Centre Stage Artist Management. He did, however, perform at the Ravenna Festival and has performed under Riccardo Muti in Tokyo.

“Don Giovanni” is set to open on Jan. 18, 2026.

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