Anna Netrebko has issued a statement in response to the petition criticizing the Metropolitan Opera's opening night.
The Russian soprano posted a comment on Facebook insisting he never intended to offend anyone. "As an artist, it is my great joy to collaborate with all of my wonderful colleagues-regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. I have never and will never discriminate against anyone," wrote Netrebko.
The comment came a day after the Met's general manager Peter Gelb also responded to the criticism. "The Met is proud of its history as a creative base for LGBT singers, conductors, directors, designers, and choreographers," said Gelb. "We also stand behind all of our artists, regardless of whether or not they wish to publicly express their personal political opinions. As an institution, the Met deplores the suppression of equal rights here or abroad. But since our mission is artistic, it is not appropriate for our performances to be used by us for political purposes, no matter how noble or right the cause."
However, conductor Valery Gergiev has yet to issue a statement or comment on the petition.
At the beginning of August, Andrew Rudin organized a petition that objected to the opera company employing Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and Russian soprano Anna Netrebko because the two artists had supported Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the past.
The petition calls for the Met to dedicate its opening night to the LGBT community. It has already obtained 1,621 signatures from all over the world.
The Met will open its season with a new production of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" on Sept. 23. The production is a co-production with the English National Opera and is being directed by actress Fiona Shaw. Piotr Beczala and Mariusz Kwiecien also star.