Swiss festival offers to give back Russian donations

The Verbier Festival has belatedly responded to the Ukraine crisis by removing Valery Gergiev as music director and creating a cordon sanitaire around its pro-Putin supporters.

Here’s the statement:

The Verbier Festival today announced the first in a series of responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Martin T:son Engstroem, Verbier Festival’s Founder & Director, summarised the strength of feeling felt by everyone at the Festival when he commented:
“The Verbier Festival, its staff, management and Board, strongly condemns Russia’s gruesome aggression against Ukraine. We follow with sadness and horror the violation the Russian regime is imposing on the people of Ukraine. We pray for them and the courage they show in
refuting the aggressor. The Verbier Festival has always been an advocate of building bridges through music between young and old of all nationalities, backgrounds and beliefs.”

The Verbier Festival has asked for and accepted the resignation of Valery Gergiev as Music Director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra.
Among the measures implemented by the Festival with immediate effect are the return of donations from any individual sanctioned by a western government and the exclusion from the Festival of all artists who have publicly aligned themselves with the Russian government’s
actions.
Further details will be announced in due course.