BREAKING: Gustavo Dudamel, superstar conductor of LA Phil, will leave his post in 2026 to lead @NYPhil, a major coup for the ensemble. “What I see is an amazing orchestra in New York and a lot of potential for developing something important,” he told me nytimes.com/2023/02/07/art…

“It’s a tragedy, what’s happening now,” said a 28-year-old pianist from Ukraine.

“The key words for me are shame and responsibility,' a 27-year-old Russian competitor said.

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The Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, who is replacing a Russian superstar in Metropolitan Opera's 'Turandot,' emerged to applause after a recent show, wrapped in her country's flag.

“I wanted to help however I could,” she told me in a recent interview.

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'This is something we can do for our country and for our people,' said the concertmaster of the newly formed Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, which will tour Europe and the US this summer. 'It’s not much, but this is our job.' nyti.ms/3OBLjkb

The star soprano Anna Netrebko lost work in the West over her ties to Vladimir Putin. Now, following an about-face, she has been called a traitor at home.
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The Russian diva Anna Netrebko, hoping for a career comeback, sought to distance herself from Putin, saying she was not 'allied with any leader of Russia.' But she did not explicitly criticize Putin or directly address her record of support for him. nyti.ms/3qQDpJv

Putin says West is canceling Russian culture, including Tchaikovsky. In fact, many arts groups continue to prominently feature Russian works.

Just ask @metopera New York Philharmonic Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which are all performing Russian music this weekend

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As their cities have come under siege by Russia, Ukrainian artists have turned to music for comfort and connection, filling streets, apartments and train stations with the sounds of Bach and Mozart.

'We still have our music, and we still have our hope.'

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Tonight, the bass-baritone Vladyslav Buialskyi, 24, will sing Ukraine’s national anthem Metropolitan Opera

Behind the scenes, he has been sending frantic texts to his family, who have been unable to flee the Russian invasion.

“It’s a huge nightmare,” he told me

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Trinity Wall Street, one of NY's wealthiest churches, has placed Julian Wachner, its high-profile music director, on leave as it investigates an allegation of sexual misconduct. A former Juilliard employee has accused him of groping her, charges he denies nyti.ms/3J7PwZK

A Russian conductor said he would resign from his positions with two orchestras—at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and in Toulouse, France — after facing pressure to condemn Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

'I am being asked to choose one cultural tradition'

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Amid the invasion of Ukraine, arts groups are moving with surprising speed to pressure Russian performers to distance themselves from Putin. They face a dilemma: should cultural institutions police artists’ views? Our piece in Sunday’s The New York Times: nyti.ms/3sM68Ay

NEW: Anna Netrebko, the superstar Russian soprano, will not appear at the Metropolitan Opera for at least two seasons after she declined to comply with the company’s demand that she repudiate her public support for Putin. nyti.ms/3C9g1LL

The Metropolitan Opera said on Sunday it would no longer engage with performers or institutions that have voiced support for Putin, becoming the latest cultural organization to seek to distance itself from Russian artists amid the invasion of Ukraine. nyti.ms/3K2a0Du