Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (born September 18, 1971) is a Russian-born soprano who also holds Austrian citizenship. She trained at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory while working as a cleaner at the Mariinsky Theatre, where conductor Valery Gergiev became her mentor and gave her an operatic debut in 1994 as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Her international breakthrough came at the 2002 Salzburg Festival as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, followed by debuts at the Metropolitan Opera (2002) and as season-opening lead at La Scala (2011). Over her career she has moved from lyric-coloratura roles into heavier dramatic Verdi and Puccini repertoire, earning the title Austrian Kammersängerin in 2017.

Netrebko became one of the most prominent and commercially successful opera sopranos of the early 21st century, celebrated for her charisma and vocal versatility across bel canto and dramatic repertoire, though her career has also been marked by controversy over her ties to Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Netrebko