Calgary Opera removes singer from Tosca after he displayed Palestinian flag at curtain call
The Calgary Opera has replaced bass singer Gabriel Sanchez-Ortega after he displayed a Palestinian flag during a curtain call. The company stated the act was unauthorized and violated their policy against personal protests on stage.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the ongoing tension in cultural institutions regarding political expression and the balance between artistic freedom and organizational policy during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in Calgary, in May, 2024. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
The Calgary Opera has replaced bass singer Gabriel Sanchez-Ortega as the character of Cesare Angelotti in its run of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca after the vocalist unfurled a Palestinian flag during curtain call last Friday.
The opera company issued a statement on the weekend confirming that “a cast member displayed a flag” at Friday’s opening night performance, and that it was “unexpected and unauthorized.” On Saturday, Mr. Sanchez-Ortega shared a video on his Instagram profile of the moment, which shows him revealing a Palestinian flag onstage.
“I have no regrets,” he wrote in a since expired Instagram story screenshotted by the Opera Wire blog . “This is the state of cultural institutions in Canada. I was informed that financial threats have been made against Calgary Opera. I hold no resentment.”
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