Maria Barakova is set to open her 2025-26 season in Russia. Among her performances will be a concert alongside Putin Supporter Denis Matsuev.

The mezzo, who is set to perform at the Metropolitan Opera this season in “Eugene Onegin,” will first perform at the Baikal Festival where Matsuev serves as the artistic director. She will perform on Sept. 2, 2025.

Then on Sept. 8 and 9, the mezzo will perform in Moscow and St. Petersburg in a concert dedicated to the heroes of the siege of Leningrad. The Foundation for the Support of Contemporary Art and Creative Initiatives “Era-8” will present the concert.

Barakova’s performances comes at a time when Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb said, “You can’t have cultural exchange with a country that is trying to kill millions of people. Today, it would be a big mistake to even try to divorce art from politics. Art has to be used as a weapon for good. Certainly, Russia and Putin have used cultural propaganda for years. In today’s world, where Russia is trying to annihilate Ukraine and deny its very cultural existence, it is more important than ever that art be weaponised against these forces. When you think about it, this is much bigger than just the war in Ukraine. It’s really a fight for the free world, for the democratic world, and it has to be won. And cultural leaders and cultural institutions have to be part of that fight, in my opinion.”

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