The Hungarian State Opera has rejected the Ambassador of Ukraine’s call to cancel Anna Netrebko’s upcoming concert on March 23, 2025.

According to reports, the Ukrainian Ambassador Fedor Sandor in Budapest demanded that the opera house cancel the soprano’s concert claiming that Netrebko was a supporter of Putin and a supporter of the war in Ukraine. However, the soprano has repeatedly condemned the war.

However, the Hungarian Opera’s Sylvester Okovach noted that “the opera is not a political or military institution, and the artists are not politicians or soldiers.”

He added, “Hungary is not a belligerent party and does not want to play the role of an undesirable judge in an insoluble fraternal conflict” noted that Netrebko has been performing all over the world in Italy, Germany, the United States, Austria, and France.

Okovach also noted that the concert is sold out noting, “This shows that our compatriots also appreciate the art of Anna Netrebko. On the threshold of the long—awaited ceasefire and, perhaps, on the eve of peace, I would especially like to protect the tranquility, reasonable internal activities and political neutrality of the largest Hungarian performing arts institution.”

This is the latest letter from a Ukrainian Ambassador that tries to cancel a Netrebko performance. Recently the Ambassador in Rome pleaded for the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma to cancel Netrebko’s performances of “Tosca.”

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