Just in: Sibelius Competition tells Russians to stay away

The hyper-neutral Sibelius Violin Competition initially boasted that, in the interests of fairness and professionalism, it was admitting 2 Ukrainian finalists and 2 Russians to the contest.

Now it has issued a further statement:

In the light of Russia’s increasingly violent war in Ukraine, the Competition Committee has decided to exclude Russian competitors from the XII International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition.

On March 7, 2022, the Competition Committee decided that all competitors would be judged purely on their artistic merits. Two young Russian violinists qualified in the preliminary selection process. The preliminary jury followed the guidelines of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) that competitors should not be excluded from the competition solely on the basis of nationality. The Jean Sibelius Violin Competition is a member of the world federation.

However, the situation has changed since the beginning of March as the war in Ukraine has continued to intensify. Therefore, on 8 April 2022, the Competition Committee re-examined the possibilities for Russian competitors selected for the Jean Sibelius Violin Competition and concluded that, in the current exceptional circumstances, participation in the competition was not possible. The horrors of the war and the recently uncovered atrocities have meant that the Competition Committee has no moral or ethical option but to exclude the Russians from the competition. With this decision, the Competition Committee also wants to guarantee a neutral and peaceful environment for all competitors.