Protests against the Mariinsky Theatre’s Valery Gergiev display no signs of stopping anything soon. Demonstrators in Ann Arbor, Michigan, carried signs and laid on pavement outside the Hill Auditorium Saturday to protest the director's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the case of world-renowned, Russian-born bass Ildar Abdrazakov, 37, Italian opera has made him a premiere singer in the operatic world. A native of Ufa, capital of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, Ildar now has taken his voice to a new level, and he will perform in the Metropolitan Opera's production of 'Prince Igor,' to open Oct. 22.