The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra (ASO) has said it does not plan to cancel its collaboration with Russian violinist Vadim Repin, despite appeals from the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States and petitions initiated by local activists.
Repin’s performances are scheduled for 6–7 November at Maryland Hall together with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. In its statement, the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States drew attention to the fact that on 21 February 2024, during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mr Repin performed with the State Kremlin Orchestra at a concert organised by the Kremlin Foundation to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day, which was explicitly presented as a tribute to Russia’s “great defenders”.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Vadim Repin Arts Development Foundation has received substantial funding from Russia’s Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives — a state institution that supports Russia’s cultural policy.
A number of cultural institutions have already reviewed their cooperation with Repin, including the Mannheim Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany, the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Palm Beach Symphony in Florida, which cancelled Mr Repin’s performance in March this year.
However, the ASO said it would not cancel its collaboration with Repin. In a comment to the US outlet The Violin Channel, representatives of the orchestra said they condemn the atrocities committed by Putin’s regime against the Ukrainian people.
“In 2022, immediately after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the ASO made the decision to replace Vadim Repin in response to the rapidly unfolding events, as cultural organisations around the world sought to determine how to respond to Russia’s actions and the implications of performances by Russian artists,” the comment said. “This decision was not based on a conclusion that Mr Repin personally supports Vladimir Putin or the invasion of Ukraine.
Since we re-invited Mr Repin to perform with the ASO, we have conducted a thorough review of his public activity to determine whether there is evidence of his personal support for the aggressive policies of the Russian government and its president. We found no evidence. Therefore, we proceeded with our plans.”
In response to this position, activists from the organisation Arts Against Aggression officially notified the leadership of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra that protests would be held inside and outside Maryland Hall.
As activists told LB.ua, “through these protests, the orchestra and its audience will learn more about the war crimes of the Putin regime, represented by its cultural ambassador Vadim Repin. They will also experience a part of the reality faced by Ukrainian civilians during daily Russian missile and drone attacks. The 300 Ukrainian artists and cultural figures killed by Russia will be present in spirit at our protest.”