Opera Australia silent on homophobic singer allegations

Opera Australia silent on homophobic singer allegations
Image: Georgian opera singer Tamar Iveri.

OPERA Australia is refusing to comment on their decision to bring allegedly homophobic soprano Tamar Iveri to Sydney and Melbourne for two shows this year.

The singer (pictured), from the central Asian country of Georgia, has been plagued by controversy following allegations she penned a homophobic diatribe on her Facebook page in which IDAHOT day supporters in the capital city of Tblisi were branded “fecal masses”.

Georgian LGBTI rights group Identoba published a translation of the post which Iveri was said to have subsequently taken down.

“I was quite proud of the fact how Georgian society spat at the parade,” said the translation.

The message goes onto to implore Georgian’s President to  “stop vigorous attempts to bring West’s “fecal masses” in the mentality of the people by means of propaganda.”

“Even today, US ambassador said that the people who raided the rally yesterday were against NATO.

“No, Mr. Ambassador: those, who yesterday raided the rally, are Georgian youth of pure blood, still unspoilt by you,” the translation continues.

Identoba directed the comments to the National Opera of Paris who have reportedly now withdrawn an invitation for the singer to perform.

According to SameSame, Iveri reportedly blamed her husband for rewriting her original letter, which she deleted as soon as she saw his homophobic remarks and how it was under her name.

“My husband was using my Facebook account at that time and he is a very religious man with a tough attitude towards gay people,” she said.

“I explained the situation and officially apologised to the LGBT community in Georgia a year ago and they accepted my apology.”

However, the social media campaign calling on Opera Australia to sack Iveri continues to grow, and there is a Change.org petition circulating, as well.

Iveri is currently in Sydney rehearsing for her role as Desdemona in Otello at the Sydney Opera House, before heading to Melbourne to perform in Tosca.

On Opera Australia’s website a biography of Iveri says she made her Australian debut last year and “has been acclaimed throughout the world in theatres which include the Vienna State Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opera Bastille, Paris, and many others.”

The Star Observer asked Opera Australia if they knew of the allegations, if they were investigating their veracity and if they thought it appropriate someone accused of homophobia should perform with the company.

Opera Australia declined to comment or say whether they stood by Iveri.

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5 responses to “Opera Australia silent on homophobic singer allegations”

  1. What a hypocrite and a liar. Does she really think people will believe this crap about her story being switched by a sociopath husband? She should go back to Georgia a stay there, enough violence, enough hate.

  2. Are you sure she and her husband are members of the Nazi party? If so, that information should be made common knowledge in the media and her visa revoked. Even if she is not a Nazi, she is unfit to perform on any stage because of her hateful nature.

  3. What an ugly, ugly woman. Inside and out. Opera Australia, your silence and so far refusal to sack this bigot and replace her with someone more appropriate speaks volumes.

  4. re: “According to SameSame, Iveri reportedly blamed her husband ..”

    I think this issue is important enough not to dump a quote from SameSame particularly when many of us are reading the original posts.

  5. The international opera community is horrified to hear that this vile Georgian homophobe and racist, Tamar Iveri, is not going to be sacked by Opera Australia.

    She is a prominent member of the Nazi Party of Georgia, along with her husband. This alone should have been grounds for rejecting her work permit application and visa. She claims she is “proud to spit on gay people” and endorses throwing rocks and human excrement at gay people.

    Georgia is a backward country in most respects. Even priests and police were seen stoning participants in a Gay Parade march there (which was closed down in 1.5 minutes by riot police).

    Their ignorance and hatred are not wanted in the West. Their sopranos are not wanted in the West.

    We call on Jonas Kaufmann to refuse to perform with this Nazi, racist, homophobic sow, and walk out of this production until an alternative Tosca is found.

    On top of that, Iveri’s voice is bloodcurdlingly atrocious, she cannot sing or act the role, and she can’t speak Italian.