Russian-born soprano, one of the world's top opera singers. She lives in Austria.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Ms Netrebko was shunned by Western venues because of her past links to the Kremlin. She had received awards from Vladimir Putin and made flattering remarks about him. In 2014, after Russia fomented a conflict in eastern Ukraine, she posed for a picture with a separatist flag, later claiming she did not grasp its meaning.
Ms Netrebko has condemned the war and has not returned to Russia since the invasion began. She has not, however, criticised Mr Putin directly. She remains blacklisted by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 2025 the Royal Opera House in London and other European houses invited her back, sparking protests. She sang the title role in a new production of Puccini's "Tosca" at the Royal Opera House.
Her mentor Valery Gergiev, a Russian maestro, has gone further in obliging the Kremlin with musical propaganda stunts.
There is no time like the present for postponing what you ought to be doing.