Ukrainians in Estonia praise opera house for dropping Russia-linked artist Jose Cura

The Estonian National Opera has cancelled its cooperation with internationally known Argentine opera singer and director Jose Cura over his links to Russia, drawing praise from Estonia’s Ukrainian community. 

“A decision worthy of the highest respect,” Vira Konyk said, who is president of the Congress of Ukrainians of Estonia. “The leadership and team of the Estonian National Opera ended their cooperation with Cura over his performances in Russia.”

Opera house officials said they ended the partnership after Cura had recently performed in Russia and had failed to clearly denounce the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

Cura had been scheduled to direct Benjamin Britten’s “Peter Grimes” that was set to premiere in September with sold-out performances. The opera company postponed the production, citing the need to reassemble the creative team. 

Soprano Olena Brazhnyk, a soloist with the company, had discussed Cura’s Russian ties directly with him and asked for a written explanation. 

“Our work can only be meaningful when all partners genuinely share our values,” Ott Maaten, General Director of the Estonian National Opera said. “Without that, cooperation loses its purpose.”

However, Kony said: “Still, the position of the staff and management was clear: we cannot collaborate with someone who has not explicitly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine and failed to cut all ties with the aggressor state” 

The theater’s management announced that the premiere will be postponed due to the change in the production team. Despite the disruption, they plan to stage Peter Grimes in the coming years, noting the opera’s significance and the company’s extensive preparation.

“Our work can only be meaningful when all partners genuinely share our values. Without that, cooperation loses its purpose,” said Maaten.

Cura had previously performed in Estonia, but his participation in productions in Russia came under scrutiny in early July. The Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg announced that Cura would perform Otello on July 16, but the production was later canceled. A representative for Cura claimed the announcement was made in error and without the artist’s consent.

Maaten confirmed he was aware of Cura’s connections to Russia and had discussed them directly with him. The conductor was asked to provide a written explanation, but failed to take a clear stance on the war, prompting the final decision to end the collaboration.