Estonian musicians refuse to perform alongside Chinese orchestra with Russia links
The Estonian Festival Orchestra canceled a concert last week in China after it was revealed that the local symphony orchestra had close ties to Russia.
The Estonian Festival Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi, is on tour in China and was scheduled to perform at Wuxi Symphony Hall, in eastern China, with the local orchestra on October 23.
The Wuxi orchestra toured Russia last year as part of an official China-Russia Years of Culture event and has performed with the Russian National Orchestra.
After learning about their partner's background, the Estonian musicians refused to take part in the joint concert.
The cancellation could cost the Estonian Festival Orchestra hundreds of thousands of euros, although the exact amount is not yet known.
According to the Estonian musicians, going ahead with the concert would have conflicted with their principles and caused irreparable reputational damage.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Annika Remmel
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera
