Camille Thurman, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis, performed alongside the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, led by People’s Artist of Russia Igor Butman, at the opening of the Moscow Jazz Festival, according to the Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti.
The participation of American artists in the Moscow Jazz Festival has also been widely covered by other Russian state media outlets, according to activists from Arts Against Aggression.
Several American artists are taking part in the festival, including Tierney Sutton, Tamir Hendelman, Darrell Green, Allan Harris, Vanessa Rubin and Camille Thurman. The budget for the Moscow Jazz Festival exceeds $3 million (240 million roubles). Its sponsors include Gazprom, which is subject to US sanctions, and the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.
As Arts Against Aggression notes, the participation of American artists in this festival constitutes a violation of US sanctions legislation and creates potential legal risks for the performers and their representatives.
The festival’s description submitted for state funding states that “the festival actively involves jazz musicians from Russia’s new regions [the occupied territories of Ukraine] in its performances. In 2024, the Cruise Control ensemble from the Donetsk Philharmonic enjoyed great success in Zaryadye Park during the festival. Following their participation, they organised events in Donetsk under the title Echoes of the Moscow Jazz Festival.”
Igor Butman, the festival’s artistic director and a trusted associate of Putin, is subject to sanctions imposed by Ukraine and Canada. He holds dual Russian and US citizenship.
The international movement Arts Against Aggression has sent an open letter to Western venues where these American artists are scheduled to perform, calling for their appearances to be cancelled. A separate appeal has been addressed to the Rochester International Jazz Festival, where Allan Harris is due to perform on 22 June, and to the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, where Camille Thurman is scheduled to appear on 29 June.