The list of international artists returning to Russia continues to grow. This time, American tenor Lawrence Brownlee will take the stage at the Zaryadye Hall in Moscow, Russia. The Zaryadye Hall is a State Budgetary Institution of Culture of the City of Moscow, which is run by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Ministry of Culture.

Brownlee will be the headliner of the season-opening performance on Sept. 8, 2025, singing alongside Russian opera singer Aigul Khismatullina and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ivan Rudin. The concert will include the tenor performing bel canto arias by Rossini and Donizetti.

Brownlee joins Vittorio Grigolo, Ambrogio Maestri, Marcelo Alvarez, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, among the Western singers who have performed in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

Last month, Jose Cura was caught in a controversy with the Estonian National Opera for allegedly performing in Russia. The company let him go stating “Based on the position of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Estonia that artists performing in Russia have no place on Estonian stages, and due to the fact that both the management and employees of the Estonian National Opera are of the same opinion that without an explicit condemnation of Russia’s war against Ukraine and a complete severance of ties with Russia, it is not possible to continue cooperation with director José Cura.

In a statement sent to OperaWire, Brownlee noted that, “as an artist, I believe that my art is the most powerful way for me to create positive change in the world. My decision to sing in Russia is not in any way an endorsement of the policies of their current government, just as my decision to continue to sing in the U.S. is not an endorsement of our current government. For me, the greatest power of music is that it can lift us above the divisive rhetoric of present-day politics, and remind us of what truly unifies us in our shared human experience. I am not a pawn, and will never become one – everywhere I go, I go as an artist, with the goal of bringing people together and spreading joy and peace through music.”

The concert comes a few days after Putin supporter Valery Gergiev takes the stage to conduct Mahler symphonies. Gergiev was recently set to return to Italy for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the announcement of the performance sparked massive controversy, ultimately leading to the annulment of the engagement. Also performing at the Zaryadye Hall this season are such performers as Jean-Baptiste Dupont, Nadezhda Karyazina, and Ivan Borodulin. Soprano Elena Stikhina and tenor Ivan Gyngazov will also take the stage for “The Queen of Spades.” 

This season, Brownlee returns to the Metropolitan Opera, which is not government-funded, for a new production of “I Puritani” and “La Fille du Régiment.” The company’s General Manager, Peter Gelb, has been on record stating that he cut ties with Russian institutions such as the Bolshoi Theatre because “Putin literally signs the contract.” Gelb publicly condemned Gergiev’s return to Italy before the event’s cancelation. Moreover, the company and Gelb have an ongoing lawsuit with soprano Anna Netrebko regarding her connection with Putin and the resulting cancelations of her performances at the Met. Gelb has repeatedly gone on record to lambast Netrebko over her political affiliations with Putin.

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