Some Russian performing artists are speaking out against Putin
In the midst of the Ukraine crisis, a number of Russian performing artists are speaking out against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many of them come from the worlds of classical music, ballet and theater — revered art forms in a country that prizes its high-arts heritage.
The noted conductor , who was born in St. Petersburg but now lives in Europe, canceled his planned performances with the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra at Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow that were planned for June. In to Facebook Friday, Bychkov wrote: "This is a painful decision as I was looking forward with enormous joy to making music with the exceptionally gifted young Russian artists. Yet doing so under the present circumstances would be an unconscionable act of acquiescence." The youth orchestra is affiliated with the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, which is led by .
