The New York Post reports that Anita Rachvelishvili, a mezzo-soprano once praised as the “best Verdi mezzo-soprano today on the planet,” has filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera and the American Guild of Musical Artists, claiming she was unfairly fired after struggling with high notes following childbirth.
Rachvelishvili, who was contracted to perform in productions including Aida, La Gioconda, Carmen, and Don Carlo between 2022 and 2025, alleges the Met canceled her performances in January 2023 due to an alleged “deterioration of vocal quality.” Her contract was reportedly worth upward of $400,000.
The singer, who gave birth to her daughter in November 2021, admitted in court papers that she was “temporarily limited in her very highest vocal range” after becoming a mother but said it did not affect her overall ability to perform. “She was nonetheless at all times ready, willing and able to perform the roles for which she was contracted,” the lawsuit states.
“I loved performing on the Met stage and looked forward to returning after the birth of my first child. I was shocked that I was not given a chance to recover and all of my contracts for the next two years were immediately canceled without pay,” Rachvelishvili said in a statement.
Rachvelishvili claims the Met initially agreed to buy out her contract but later refused to pay the agreed sum. She also alleges her union failed to support her by declining to file a grievance on her behalf.
“The cancellations at the Met negatively affected other bookings throughout the world,” said Rachvelishvili’s attorney, Leonard Egert. “Opera singers are booked out years in advance. This created a negative cascade event for her. It had a devastating effect but she’s coming back — slowly but surely.”
Rachvelishvili, who lives in Tbilisi, Georgia, returned to performing in November in Naples, Italy. She is seeking unspecified damages.
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