Anna Netrebko

Anna Yuryevna Netrebko is a Russian operatic soprano known for her performances at major international venues including the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera, and La Scala. Discovered and mentored by conductor Valery Gergiev, she began her career at the Mariinsky Theatre and achieved global recognition as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the 2002 Salzburg Festival. Over her career, she transitioned from lyric and coloratura soprano roles to heavier 19th-century romantic works and verismo repertoire. She has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2003.

Born in Krasnodar to a family of Kuban Cossack background, Netrebko studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory while working as a janitor at the Mariinsky Theatre. After Valery Gergiev recognized her during an audition, he became her vocal mentor. In 1994, at age 22, she made her stage debut as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro at the Mariinsky. She made her American debut in 1995 as Lyudmila at the San Francisco Opera, subsequently joining the Merola Opera Program and making regular appearances in San Francisco, Saint Petersburg, and Washington.

Netrebko made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2002 as Natasha in War and Peace. Her international breakthrough followed later that year at the Salzburg Festival. Over the next decade, she debuted at the Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Paris Opera. She starred in notable stagings including Willy Decker's La traviata and Claus Guth's The Marriage of Figaro in Salzburg. In 2007, she made her Carnegie Hall debut, performed at the Last Night of the Proms, and appeared at the 30th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.

In 2011, Netrebko performed the title role in Donizetti's Anna Bolena in Vienna and opened La Scala's season in Don Giovanni. She headlined three consecutive opening-night new productions at the Metropolitan Opera from 2011 to 2013, expanding into heavier Verdi roles including Lady Macbeth and Leonora in Il trovatore. Her prominent appearances during this period included singing the Olympic Anthem at the 2014 Winter Olympics, performing at 2018 FIFA World Cup concerts, and debuting in roles such as Lohengrin, Adriana Lecouvreur, Aida, and Tosca.

In early 2022, Netrebko faced cancellations from institutions including the Metropolitan Opera and Bavarian State Opera after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In March 2022, she condemned the war, distanced herself from Russian political leadership, and noted her status as an Austrian tax resident. Following an arbitration ruling in March 2023, the Metropolitan Opera was ordered to pay her over $200,000 for cancelled performances while penalizing her $30,000 for past statements.

Netrebko returned to public performance in mid-2022 with appearances in Monte Carlo, Paris, Milan, and Verona. She opened the 2022/23 Vienna State Opera season in La bohème, opened the 100th Arena di Verona Festival as Aida in 2023, closed the 2023 Chorégies d'Orange festival, and performed Turandot at the Internationale Maifestspiele Wiesbaden in May 2024.

Netrebko's honors include multiple Echo Klassik Awards and inclusion on the 2007 Time 100 list. She was named a People's Artist of Russia in 2008 and an Austrian Kammersängerin in 2017.