Angela Gheorghiu’s management Intermusica has released a statement regarding the incident at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on Sept. 8, 2024.

In a statement the management team said, “Ms. Gheorghiu deeply regrets the circumstances which led to the incident at Sejong Arts Center on Sunday. It was agreed and confirmed with the conductor and the production team of ‘Tosca’ in advance that there would be no encores made by any of the performers. Ms. Gheorghiu believes firmly that encores outside of a concert-performance setting disrupt the narrative flow of opera.” 

Her Management continued, “Despite this agreement, shortly before Act two, the conductor proposed an encore of her aria, ‘Vissi d’arte,’ which Ms. Gheorghiu again declined in order to maintain the integrity of the performance. Regrettably, this decision was not honored in the case of the tenor’s Act three aria, which Ms. Gheorghiu perceived as a personal affront, given her strong convictions on this matter. Ms. Gheorghiu wishes to express her profound respect and love for Korean audiences, with whom she has cherished a wonderful relationship for many years. We have been particularly concerned with the extraordinary level of abuse she has been subjected to online, exacerbated by incomplete media reports on the incident.”

The statement comes days after Gheorghiu interrupted the third act of “Tosca” when Korean tenor Alfred Kim was asked to give an encore of “E lucevan le stelle.” Per reports, the soprano walked onstage and did the utmost to stop conductor Jee Joong-bae before eventually stating out loud, “Excuse me. It’s a performance. It’s not a recital. Respect me.”

The ensuing incident caused anger with the audience booing the soprano. The opera company promptly released a statement noting, “We haven’t heard any further statements or explanations from her about this incident. We have officially filed a complaint with her management company and have formally requested an apology from Gheorghiu. We are currently awaiting her response and will determine our next steps based on her reply.”