Russian violinist Vadim Repin’s concert in Palm Beach, Florida, scheduled as part of the Palm Beach Symphony programme, was cancelled following public criticism from Ukrainian and international organisations.
The performance was due to take place in March at the Kravis Centre as part of the Masterworks series and was also to include a masterclass for students in the Palm Beach school district. The Ukrainian Association of Florida and a number of other public organisations opposed the musician’s participation. Among them was Arts Against Aggression.
Activists claimed that Repin had ties to the current Russian regime through his wife, Svetlana Zakharova, who is a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party and is under sanctions imposed by Ukraine. Her name also appears in materials published by the Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by opposition politician Alexei Navalny, as a person who supported Putin’s election campaigns.
Public organisations created a petition and sent open letters to the organisers calling for the event to be cancelled. The planned masterclass for schoolchildren caused particular outrage.
The organisers did not officially specify the reasons for cancelling the concert. At the same time, the situation surrounding the performance sparked a broader discussion about the participation of Russian artists in international events against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.