Vadim Repin is due to perform with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra in Maryland on 6 and 7 November.
As the activists point out, they are concerned about this announcement, given that Repin “attends state events sponsored by Putin, carries out tasks on his instructions, and receives state awards and funding for his projects thanks to his personal relationship with President Putin”.
“Although Repin himself has not publicly spoken out in support of the war against Ukraine, he has performed at state-sanctioned events, notably at a concert with the State Kremlin Orchestra in 2024. His wife, the ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, is subject to Ukrainian sanctions and is listed on the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s sanctions tracker as a person who represented Russian President Vladimir Putin at several elections,” the petition states.
The text notes that Repin’s performance with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra was cancelled in 2022, during the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the situation has not only failed to improve but has, in fact, worsened.
The petition has already gathered around 250 signatures.
It should be recalled that, following pressure from activists and Ukrainian diplomats, Repin’s performances in Budapest were recently cancelled. However, in Bulgaria, the violinist performed despite calls for the concert to be cancelled and a protest outside Sofia Philharmonic Hall on the day of the performance.