Calgary Opera Drops Sanchez-Ortega From 'Tosca' Over Curtain-Call Palestinian Flag

By Daniel Okafor

Calgary Opera has removed bass-baritone Gabriel Sanchez-Ortega from its remaining performances of "Tosca" after he displayed a Palestinian flag during the Oct. 16 opening-night curtain call at the Jubilee. He sang Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner. The irony writes its own programme notes.

The company did not soft-pedal the decision. In a statement, Calgary Opera said: "During the October 16 opening-night performance of 'Tosca,' a cast member displayed a flag during the curtain call. This action was unexpected and unauthorized. Individual political protest contravenes not only company policy, but also our responsibility to create a more connected, caring, and civil society through shared artistic experiences."

The statement continued: "We recognize that this moment may have affected the audience — as well as cast members, crew, orchestral musicians, and Jubilee staff — in different ways, and we regret any discomfort and distress it caused."

The role of Angelotti will be sung by another artist for the rest of the run. The company said it has "addressed this matter directly with the cast member and reinforced our expectations with the cast and production team."

What did the singer say?

Sanchez-Ortega answered on social media, and his statement pulls no punches. "I have been informed that I have been removed from further performances of 'Tosca' with the Calgary Opera following my display of the Palestinian flag during curtain call," he wrote. "I have no regret. This is the state of cultural institutions in Canada."

He added a claim the company has not confirmed: "I was informed that financial threats had been made against Calgary Opera."

He closed with a pointed reflection on the role itself: "After the theatre, (political or otherwise) we all have to go home, and look at ourselves in the mirror. It was my honor to play the role of Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner."

"I hold no resentment," he wrote. That is either grace or a shrug. Possibly both.

Has this happened before?

Yes, and recently. In 2025, a performer at the Royal Opera House in London raised a Palestinian flag during a curtain call, prompting unrest within the company. The Royal Ballet and Opera called the protest "completely inappropriate for a curtain call" and described the flag display as "spontaneous and unauthorised action by the artist."

Two incidents in two companies on two continents suggest a pattern, not a one-off. Curtain calls, it turns out, are now contested ground.

Does the show go on?

It does. Calgary Opera's "Tosca" runs through Oct. 24, with Maria Natale, David Esteban and Boaz Daniel still leading the cast. Sanchez-Ortega's replacement for Angelotti has not been named in the company's statement.

The episode leaves Canadian opera with a question it can't stage-manage away: whether the curtain call belongs to the artists, the audience or the balance sheet. How Calgary Opera and its peers answer that will shape more than one singer's employment.