Florida cancels performance by Russian violinist Vadim Repin after appeal from Ukrainian community
2 March 07:12
The Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra canceled Russian violinist Vadim Repin’s participation in a planned concert in Florida after a request from pro-Ukrainian activists.
This was reported by Vilni Media USA, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The concert is scheduled for March 2 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, according to the Palm Beach Symphony website.
“This is the result of the community’s consistent position: culture cannot be a cover for the propaganda of an aggressor state. The voice of Ukrainians in Florida has been heard,” the statement said.
The concert is scheduled for March 2 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, according to the Palm Beach Symphony website.
In January, the international movement Arts Against Aggression appealed to the Palm Beach Symphony and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts to cancel the planned performance of Russian violinist Vadim Repin.
Arts Against Aggression noted that despite not holding any formal political positions, “the musician has been involved in official cultural programs of the Russian Federation for years and has received funding from the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.”
The statement also emphasized that the planned concert would take place on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the liberation of Bucha and stressed that after the Russian occupation of the Kyiv region, “Repin was awarded an honorary title in Russia, and in subsequent years he participated in events organized with the support of the Kremlin.”
Earlier, a performance by Russian violinist Vadim Repin was canceled in Germany. The Mannheim Philharmonic refused to hold a planned concert with his participation after an official appeal from the Ukrainian embassy.
A ballet evening featuring Repin’s wife, Bolshoi Theatre prima ballerina and former United Russia deputy Svetlana Zakharova, has also been canceled in Florence.
Who is Vadim Repin?
Vadim Repin is a Russian and Belgian violinist who lives in Vienna.
At the age of 14, he made his debut on stages in Tokyo, Munich, Berlin, and Helsinki, and the following year he performed at Carnegie Hall. At the age of 17, he became the youngest winner of the violin section of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels.
Repin specializes in Russian and French music, particularly the great Russian violin concertos.
His current wife is ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, who was a deputy of the State Duma from the United Russia party. He himself did not hold public office and avoided public political statements.
However, in April 2022, Putin awarded Vadim Repin the honorary title of People’s Artist of the Russian Federation. In February 2024, the musician performed with the State Kremlin Orchestra at a concert organized by the Kremlin Foundation and dedicated to Defender of the Fatherland Day.
In June of the same year, Ukrainian violinist Dmytro Udovychenko refused to shake Repin’s hand after his victory at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
Also in 2025, Repin broadcast his concert with the Russian National Orchestra to an audience in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
