Estonian musicians refuse to perform alongside Chinese orchestra with Russia links
The Estonian Festival Orchestra, led by conductor Paavo Järvi, called off a concert in China after learning of the local orchestra's ties to Russia. The cancellation could cost hundreds of thousands of euros.
The Estonian Festival Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi, canceled a concert last week in eastern China after discovering that its intended partner, the local symphony orchestra, had close ties to Russia. The decision matters because it shows Estonian artists are unwilling to share a stage with groups linked to Russia, even at significant financial cost.
What happened
The Estonian ensemble is currently touring China. A joint concert with the local orchestra was scheduled for October 23 at Wuxi Symphony Hall in the east of the country.
The Wuxi orchestra toured Russia last year as part of an official China-Russia Years of Culture event. It has also performed with the Russian National Orchestra. After learning about their partner's background, the Estonian musicians refused to take part in the joint performance.
Consequences
The cancellation could cost the Estonian Festival Orchestra hundreds of thousands of euros, though the exact figure is not yet known.
According to the Estonian musicians, going ahead with the concert would have conflicted with their principles and caused irreparable damage to their reputation.
