While it should come as no surprise to see the global response to arts and culture organization breaking ties with conductor Valery Gergiev and soprano Anna Netrebko, the announcement from The Metropolitan Opera that they “can no longer engage with artists or institutions that support Putin or are supported by him” invites the question of how they will go about making that determination.
When it comes to artists like Gergiev, quantifying that threshold is not only justified but comparatively cut and dry. The question then becomes how arts and culture institutions, The Met included, should make that determination for other artists. There’s genuine risk of wading into virtue signaling territory when announcing a policy like the one from The Met without also including the framework for how those decisions are made.
I’m giving this some additional thought and will likely write more but, in the meantime, here’s a few posts on the adjacent topic of cultural diplomacy:
There's an absolutely fabulous video making the rounds at Instagram featuring comedian Kimberly Clark in a segment about orchestras...and Gustavo Dudamel. She has quite…
Even before coronavirus shutdowns, music director compensation was a hot topic, but the current environment introduces a new layer when the issue of shared…