The Margaret Island Theater issued a statement ahead of their opera gala event, set to take place on July 29, informing audiences that Yende has stepped down from performing at the event.

According to a press release shared with the Budapest Business Journal, the soprano singer “[…] was forced to resign due to an unfortunate and unexpected family event.” The theater has reassured audiences that the opera gala will take place at an unchanged date.

Nadine Sierra, the American operatic soprano singer meant to partner with Yende at the gala, will still perform as planned, however, she will instead be partnered with Demuro, an Italian operatic tenor.

Demuro is not unknown to Hungarian audiences. Earlier, at the invitation of the NFZ and the Müpa, he performed in Bellini's operas The Puritans, and later The Sleepwalker, as well as Verdi's Rigoletto in the Opera House, in the role of the Duke of Mantua.

Historic Partnership

This will not be the first instance of Sierra and Demuro performing together on stage. Among other notable performances, the two have worked together in the Teatro La Fenice, the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan in New York in the performances of Traviata, Cosi fun Tutte and La bohème, all with great success.

The repertoire of the opera gala will be similar to that previously planned. The most famous arias of Verdi, Mozart, Donizetti, Gounod, as well as Lehár's operetta and Bernstein's musical are also on the program. The audience will also not be left without "Bésame Mucho".