erased legacy
The war in Ukraine has shaken more than borders. It has jolted the heart of classical music and opera, forcing Ukrainian artists to navigate exile while facing a harsh debate among Western programming bodies about inviting Russian performers. The majority of Ukrainian artists, especially men of fighting age, have faced extraordinary pressures. Many Ukrainian interpreters living abroad—including those in Spain—are women who carry the weight of keeping art alive under fire.
From the outbreak of hostilities, famous Russian figures in the arts have found themselves under intense scrutiny. Names like Valery Gergiev, long associated with the Moscow power circle, and opera star Anna Netrebko have become focal points in a broader cultural clash. The backlash has played out loudly on social media and in arts coverage, influencing decisions about who should appear on stages around the world.
Gergiev, who runs the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg and has longtime ties to the Russian leadership, faced a decisive response when he refused to condemn the invasion. Major stages reacted: La Scala in Milan dropped him from plans to stage The Queen of Spades, and within days venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as well as festivals in Lucerne, Riga, Edinburgh, and cities like Paris, Munich, and Vienna, reevaluated his involvement. A Russian director’s representation in the United States also ended as part of this shift.
In contrast, Anna Netrebko initially stayed in the public eye with measured statements, then shifted later to step back from public appearances to reassess her stance on the conflict. She later indicated a willingness to perform again in Europe, while drawing distance from political endorsements associated with Moscow, signaling a nuanced move away from the war’s centered power structure.
Some Russian theaters halted planned collaborations in the West, yet individual artists continued to perform across Europe, including Italy, France, Austria, and at Madrid’s Teatro Real. This period marked a stark example of how political ruptures ripple through performing arts, reshaping careers and audience expectations in real time.
The loss, however, is not confined to stages. The conflict has cost lives and shattered careers. The killing and detention of musicians—such as the people who refuse to perform for occupying forces—underscore the human cost that accompanies the cultural upheaval. The death toll and the upheaval of countless lives have become a grim reminder of how conflict can erase living memories and voices from a region that values music as much as history and identity.
erased legacy
Yet alongside this pain, a fracture in cultural life becomes visible. The war threatens to erase a vibrant heritage, striking at theaters, schools, and the various channels that nurture the arts. In Ukraine, as in many former Soviet states, music, dance, and opera are woven into education and daily life, forming a backbone for communities even in hardship.
The loss of life weighs heavily, and alongside it comes the challenge of preserving musical heritage. Digitization projects, for example, aim to safeguard scores and recordings that could otherwise vanish, ensuring future generations can study and perform Ukrainian works.
Cities with enduring symphony seasons and stable opera programming become rare, and many performers—singers and dancers alike—remain tied to ensembles across the country even as conflict disrupts rehearsal schedules and venues. Musicians continue to perform in bombed or threatened spaces, pausing when alarms sound and resuming afterward, driven by a stubborn dedication to art.
artists in spain
In Cantabria, the Ukrainian soprano Anastasia Golub describes a resilient path. She is a lead soloist at the Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater and maintains ties to her home through frequent returns. When the war intensified, she attended premieres that had been postponed due to sirens, choosing to focus on her craft and to embody her roles even in uncertain times. Since relocating to Spain, she has given recitals across multiple cities and hopes to perform regularly in the country.
Similar journeys are echoed by other performers such as sopranos Viktoriia Holubova and Anna Mishchenko. Their appearances in Spain stem from exclusive contracts with performing companies that keep choirs intact and maintain the prestige of major venues like Madrid’s Coliseum and the Teatro Real, as well as venues in Oviedo and beyond. Through these arrangements, Mishchenko and Holubova have continued to meet audiences in Madrid and Asturias, sustaining artistic work during upheaval.
international response
Global reaction from the arts community has been generous. Benefit concerts have arisen around the world to support victims and to keep cultural life afloat in trying times. Numerous initiatives have emerged to safeguard local heritage, such as efforts in Lviv where the Philharmonic and community leaders began digitizing local composers’ scores to preserve a nationwide musical legacy. The aim is to share these scores with orchestras worldwide and to sustain active artistic life despite the ongoing challenges of war, even though the task remains complex and slow.
Across the region, digitization projects and cultural exchanges are being pursued as a means to protect memory and ensure future performances. These efforts are driven by a sense of responsibility to maintain artistic activity and to connect musicians with audiences around the world, even as travel and collaboration are strained by conflict. [Attribution: Ukrainian cultural organizations and international arts councils, 2023-2024]