Around the Music Festival

On 8 April, the 12th ‘Sibelius Violin Competition’ cancelled the participation of two Russians, Galiya Zharova and Ravil Islyamov, who had passed the preliminary round.

The Competition Committee has issued a statement saying that “Due to the revelations of war and atrocities in Ukraine, we have decided to exclude Russian participants from the competition in order to protect other participants and the competition as a whole”.

The competition was founded in 1965. Known as a gateway to success for young violinists, it is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world and is held every five years.

2020 was the year of the competition, but it was postponed for more than a year due to the global epidemic of COVID-19, and will take place from 18 to 29 May in the Finnish capital Helsinki.

On 7 March, the competition committee had allowed two Ukrainians and two Russians to participate, stating that “all contestants will be judged purely on artistic merit”.

Until the Russian atrocities were discovered, the Competition Committee had followed the guidelines of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC), of which it is a member, that contestants should not be excluded solely on the basis of nationality.

Photo：International Sibelius Violin Competition


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