The Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca has announced its unequivocal support for Ukraine via a number of different means.

This April, the company will present a recital featuring sopranos Anna Bondarenko, Olga Ovcharenko, and Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Liza Kadelnik as they present Ukrainian music dedicated to all the Ukrainian refugees in Cluj-Napoca, who will have free access to the performance.

Additionally, the company will add Ukranian soprano Anna Bondarenko to the cast of “Eugene Onegin;” a refugee of the war in Ukraine, she will take on the role of Tatiana.

“Odessa’s National Opera and Ballet soprano Anna Bondarenko escaped the horrific war, and arrived safely in Cluj-Napoca, after a risky trip,” the company announced in an official press statement. “As a gesture of solidarity, the Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca has been offering all the support needed so that she can continue her professional activity and has given essential assistance in terms of covering all the basic needs, for the last weeks.”

She will join a cast featuring Florin Estefan, Eusebiu Hutan, and Janetka Hosco. Cristian Sparatu conducts the opera, which opens on April 1, 2022.

“We are deeply concerned by all the aggression that Ukraine is facing these days, we totally condemn the actions of Russia against the Ukrainian people and there is no reason to justify or tolerate any of these,” the company added. “At the same time, The Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca is strongly rejecting the idea of excluding Russian artists or Russian composers, only based on their origin or nationality. We are promoters of inclusion; we strongly affirm that the cultural world cannot be divided, no matter the context.”