Dutch venue drops pianist after Ukrainian objections over Russia performances

An acclaimed Georgian-born pianist has been removed from the program of a prestigious Dutch concert venue after Ukrainian diplomats raised concerns over her past performances for members of the Russian military.

Elisabeth Leonskaja had been scheduled to perform several famous Schubert sonatas at Eindhoven’s Muziekgebouw on December 4, one of the Netherlands’ most respected classical concert halls, according to Dutch media outlets.

However, just days before her appearance, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry announced that the concert had been cancelled at the request of its Embassy in the Netherlands.

In a Facebook post, the ministry stated that Leonskaja—who lives in Vienna and holds Austrian citizenship after defecting from the Soviet Union in the 1970s—had repeatedly travelled to Russia and performed with musicians who support the Kremlin since the 2022 outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

“Culture should not be a tool for propaganda or for whitewashing war crimes of the aggressor state,” the ministry wrote, adding the hashtag #NoStageForRussia.

The Muziekgebouw said in its own statement that cancelling the pianist’s performance was a “complex” decision. The venue highlighted Leonskaja’s long career and awards, and quoted her assertion that her role is to play music and mentor younger performers rather than engage in politics. However, the concert hall concluded that it ultimately had “no choice” but to drop the event as “the sadness caused by the military conflict in Ukraine" remains its "primary concern at this time."

The venue referred Leonskaja’s recent performance at the Moscow Philharmonic on November 21, noting that the theatre has now decided to grant free admission to Russian servicemen involved in the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine—Russia’s official terminology for the war- and their families. She appeared there alongside conductor Russian Yuri Bashmet, who has in the past publicly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Under the Muziekgebouw’s policy, Russian and Belarusian artists—or performers with close ties to them—may take the stage only if they have not actively expressed support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry additionally noted that Leonskaja is scheduled to perform next year in Groningen and Amsterdam, and that Ukrainian diplomats have requested those venues take similar action.

The cancellation adds to a growing list of performances restricted or blocked across Europe involving Russian artists who either maintain links to the Russian government or have not publicly criticised the invasion.

By Nazrin Sadigova