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Swedish academy expels Russian conductor Gergiev over Ukraine / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Swedish academy expels Russian conductor Gergiev over Ukraine
Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been expelled from his position as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music for his reluctance to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the academy said Thursday.
The academy, which cited his relationship with the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, said it had demanded Gergiev take a stand against the invasion.
"Through his close ties with the Russian government which today is attacking Ukraine, we find that he has acted in a way that we cannot afford not to distance ourselves from," Susanne Ryden, president of the academy, told AFP.
"This is unacceptable and not something the academy can be associated with," she added.
A member since 2011, Gergiev had an honorary position within the prestigious Scandinavian institution, which is one of 10 royal academies in Sweden.
The Russian conductor had already been declared persona non grata by European concert halls -- in Germany where he was dismissed from directing the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra -- as well as in France and Italy.
La Scala in Milan also barred Gergiev from performances of an opera by Tchaikovsky.
Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several cultural institutions have started barring Russian artists.
In the world of classical music, superstar soprano Anna Netrebko withdrew from the Metropolitan Opera in New York after refusing to repudiate her support of Putin.
She subsequently condemned the war in Ukraine and her website indicated that she would again perform in Europe.
S. Sokolow--BTZ
