Latest news with #Tetzlaff
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
German violinist cancels Chicago concert as part of a boycott of the U.S.
German violinist Christian Tetzlaff will no longer perform at Symphony Center next fall, according to an announcement Tuesday by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. Tetzlaff had been slated to lead a recital at 3 p.m. Oct. 5 as part of the Symphony Center Presents Chamber Music series. Ticketholders have been notified of the cancellation; those with questions can call patron services at 312-294-3000. The announcement said, in part, that 'Tetzlaff will not be traveling to the United States during the 2025/26 Season.' Tetzlaff and his Tetzlaff Quartet have canceled U.S. performances in protest of President Trump's policies, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. Tetzlaff was one of the first major foreign artists to boycott the U.S. in response to Trump, the New York Times reported. The Michelada Festival in Chicago was recently cancelled for summer 2025 after several Latin American musical headliners cancelled over concerns about visas and travel to the U.S. under Trump's administration, and the current political climate.
Korea Herald
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Two classical masters boycotting US over Trump to perform in Korea
Two prominent classical musicians who recently canceled performances in the US in protest of its President Donald Trump are set to perform in South Korea this spring. Eminent pianist and conductor Andras Schiff, 71, will perform with his Cappella Andrea Barca ensemble at the Daegu Concert House on Friday and at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on Sunday. Founded in 1999 by Schiff, the ensemble comprises soloists and chamber musicians who perform internationally and are unaffiliated with any single orchestra. With Schiff recently announcing the ensemble's disbandment, this tour will be Capella Andrea Barca's final appearance in Korea. Meanwhile, celebrated German violinist Christian Tetzlaff, 58, will return to Korea for the first time in two years, performing May 1 at the Seoul Arts Center and May 2 at the Busan Cultural Center. Tetzlaff, who served as the Seoul Philharmonic's artist-in-residence in 2019, has remained closely connected with Korean audiences. The two artists share a united stance: Both canceled their US engagements in protest against the US president. Regarding his decision to cancel 22 US performances planned through April, Tetzlaff said in a recent interview with Korean media outlets that it was not an easy decision, but it is one he stands by. 'With the current administration and the fear that's spreading across US — and even Europe — I cannot justify performing there,' he said. 'Music is not just entertainment. It represents compassion, empathy and the fight for freedom and individuality. These values are currently being cast aside in the US, and I cannot in good conscience go there, perform and pay taxes to that state.' Tetzlaff, referring to Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony, said, 'It was originally meant to be dedicated to Napoleon, who stood for the ideals of the French Revolution. But when he declared himself emperor, Beethoven felt betrayed and withdrew the dedication. We need to remain vigilant against similar betrayals of democracy happening in the US today.' He emphasized that his decision is not about partisan politics, but about defending human rights. Born in 1953 to a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, Schiff has also refused to perform in either Hungary or Russia, in protest against authoritarianism and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, respectively. Since Viktor Orban's return to power in 2010, he has not set foot in his homeland, having even received threats that he would 'lose his hands' if he returned. In a March 19 interview with The New York Times, Schiff cited Trump's admonishment of Ukraine, expansionist threats involving Canada, Greenland and Gaza, as well as support for far-right politicians in Germany. He condemned Trump's call for mass deportations, which he said painfully echoed efforts to expel Jews during World War II. 'He has brought an ugliness into this world which hadn't been there. I just find it impossible to go along with what is happening,' he told The New York Times. At the upcoming concerts, Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca will present Bach's Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3 and 7, Mozart's Symphony No. 40, the "Don Giovanni" overture and Piano Concerto No. 20. Tetzlaff's recital program includes Four Pieces for Violin and Piano by Austrian composer Josef Suk, Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3, Szymanowski's Myths and Cesar Franck's Violin Sonata. Suk has been a particular focus of Tetzlaff's recent work: The violinist has recorded the composer's Violin Concerto and Piano Quintet and has performed his string quartets in recent seasons.
The Guardian
12-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘I feel utter anger': From Canada to Europe, a movement to boycott US goods is spreading
The renowned German classical violinist Christian Tetzlaff was blunt in explaining why he and his quartet have cancelled a summer tour of the US. 'There seems to be a quietness or denial about what's going on,' Tetzlaff said, describing his horror at the authoritarian polices of Donald Trump and the response of US elites to the country's growing democratic crisis. 'I feel utter anger. I cannot go on with this feeling inside. I cannot just go and play a tour of beautiful concerts.' Tetzlaff is not alone in acting on his disquiet. A growing international move to boycott the US is spreading from Scandinavia to Canada to the UK and beyond as consumers turn against US goods. Most prominent so far has been the rejection by European car buyers of the Teslas produced by Elon Musk, now a prominent figure in Trump's administration as the head of the 'department of government efficiency' a special group created by Trump that has contributed to the precipitous declines in Tesla's share price. About 15% of its value was wiped out on Monday alone. The fall in Tesla sales in Europe has been well documented, as has a Canadian consumer boycott in response to trade tariffs and Trump's calls for Canada to become America's 51st state, but the past week has seen daily reports of cultural and other forms of boycotts and disinvestment. In Canada, where the American national anthem has been booed during hockey matches with US teams, a slew of apps has emerged with names such as 'buy beaver', 'maple scan' and 'is this Canadian' to allow shoppers to scan QR barcodes and reject US produce from alcohol to pizza toppings. Figures released this week suggested the number of Canadians taking road trips to the US – representing the majority of Canadians who normally visit – had dropped by 23% compared with February 2024, according to Statistics Canada. While Canada and Mexico have been at the frontline of Trump's trade war, the boycott movement is visible far beyond countries whose economies have been targeted. In Sweden, about 40,000 users have joined a Facebook group calling for a boycott of US companies – ironically including Facebook itself – which features alternatives to US consumer products. 'I'll replace as many American goods as I can and if many do so, it will clearly affect the supply in stores,' wrote one member of the group. In Denmark, where there has been widespread anger over Trump's threat to bring the autonomous territory of Greenland under US control, the largest grocery company, the Salling group, has said it will tag European-made goods with a black star to allow consumers to choose them over products made in the US. 'We are making it easier to shop for European brands,' its chief executive, Anders Hagh, wrote on LinkedIn, although he said the company would still stock US products. More striking, perhaps, is the decision by companies to cut ties with the US. Norway's largest oil bunkering operation, the privately owned Haltbakk, recently announced a boycott of its occasional supplying of fuel to US navy ships. Referring to the fiery meeting in the White House between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump last month, the company posted on Facebook: 'We have today been witnesses to the biggest shit show ever presented 'live on TV' by the current American president and his vice-president. 'Huge credit to the president of Ukraine restraining himself and for keeping calm even though USA put on a backstabbing TV show. It made us sick. 'As a result, we have decided to [immediately] STOP as fuel provider to American forces in Norway and their ships calling Norwegian ports … We encourage all Norwegians and Europeans to follow our example.' While boycotts have been a familiar tactic in the past – targeting apartheid South Africa and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories – what is striking is how quickly the second Trump administration has become a target for both consumer anger and ethically minded companies. Trump this week has commented on the issue for the first time, bemoaning the impact of the Tesla customer boycott and demonstrations. He wrote on social media: 'To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is putting it 'on the line' in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!' But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they so often do, are trying to illegally and collusively [sic] boycott Tesla, one of the World's great automakers and Elon's baby.' Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote for the Centre for European Policy Analysis this week: 'Nobody – nobody – would have thought that western businesses or consumers would use such tools against America. 'The United States is, after all, the leader of the free world. Or was: its vote with Russia, against Ukraine, at the United Nations last month, combined with Trump's and Vance's verbal attack on Zelenskyy, along with Trump's denunciation of Zelenskyy as a dictator and a refusal to use similar language about the Russian despot, suggests to many that America is no longer an instinctive member of what we term the west.' For some, the backlash was entirely predictable. When Trump first threatened to impose sweeping tariffs this year, Takeshi Niinami, the chief executive of the Japanese multinational brewing and distilling group Suntory Holdings, which owns several major US brands, told the Financial Times international consumers were likely to shun American brands in the event of a trade war. 'We laid out the strategic and budget plan for 2025 expecting that American products, including American whiskey, will be less accepted by those countries outside of the US because of first, tariffs and, second, emotion,' Niinami said. And it is likely to spread further still. Zoe Gardner, an organiser of the Stop Trump Coalition in the UK, is seeing rapidly increasing interest in the issue. 'A lot of what we are seeing is coming about organically, people putting stuff on TikTok. People are so furious, and this is about taking back power. Already across Europe we are seeing sales of Tesla falling of a cliff because Musk encapsulates so much of the problem with the Trump administration, both its culture of horrible racism and the economic side.'
New York Times
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Alarmed by Trump, a Renowned German Violinist Boycotts the U.S.
When the German violinist Christian Tetzlaff returned home to Berlin after a recent performance in Chicago, he was distraught. The concert had gone well, but he was increasingly disturbed by political developments in the United States: President Trump's embrace of Russia, the dizzying cuts to the federal work force and changes in policies affecting transgender Americans. 'I felt like a child watching a horror film,' he said in an interview. On Friday, Mr. Tetzlaff, 58, a renowned violinist who frequently performs in the United States, said that he was canceling an eight-city tour of the country with his quartet this spring — including a stop at Carnegie Hall — and that he was unlikely to perform again in America unless the government reversed course. 'There seems to be a quietness or denial about what's going on,' he said. 'I feel utter anger. I cannot go on with this feeling inside. I cannot just go and play a tour of beautiful concerts.' Harrison W. Fields, a White House spokesman, offered a two-word response to Mr. Tetzlaff's cancellation: 'America first.' Mr. Tetzlaff is one of the first major foreign artists to try to use a cultural boycott to influence Mr. Trump's policies during his second term. For decades, American artists have canceled tours as a means of protesting war, autocracy, injustice and discrimination abroad. There were cultural boycotts of South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s in protest of its policy of apartheid, and more recently, artists have refused to perform in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Now, with the Trump administration dramatically remaking both domestic and foreign policy in its first 100 days, some performers are employing the tactic and turning the tables: canceling performances in the United States. It is unclear if the strategy will have much impact on the highly polarized political environment in America. The vast majority of foreign artists have kept their engagements. Mr. Tetzlaff said he hoped to start a conversation. 'I pay 32 percent taxes on every concert I play in the United States,' he said. 'That goes, at the moment, to a state that does partially horrible things with the money. And so to complain and then to say, 'I take my money and go home' — that's also not good.' Many artists, especially those from Europe, have been alarmed by Mr. Trump's embrace of Russia and his criticism of Ukraine in his second term. Just last week, Mr. Trump falsely asserted that Ukraine 'started' the war with Russia and called President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine a 'dictator without elections.' On Friday, Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Mr. Zelensky in an unusually fractious White House meeting, accusing him of not being grateful enough for U.S. support. Mr. Tetzlaff said the American government was betraying Ukraine — and that its new approach to the conflict was a major factor in his decision to cancel his appearances. 'Have the American people forgotten the pictures and tales of the scores of slain civilians in every town the Russians invaded?' he said. Mr. Tetzlaff, who was to appear next month with his ensemble, the Tetzlaff Quartet, in New York, Connecticut, Georgia and California, said he was also likely to cancel his engagements planned this summer and fall in the United States. He added that he would be open to performing benefit concerts in the United States for Ukraine or for groups that support women's rights. 'Anything that could help mend wounds in society or to help people who are being slighted now,' he said. Mr. Tetzlaff first performed in the United States in 1988 and has about 20 engagements here each year. Calling America a 'big part of my musical life,' he said he would be saddened to add it to the list of countries where he does not perform. That list includes China and Russia, which he has avoided because of government policies. Mr. Tetzlaff said that he had consulted friends and colleagues and that many disagreed with his decision, saying that music could help bring people together. But he said he was inspired partly by the example of composers like Beethoven, Brahms and Bartok, whose music touched on themes of freedom and individuality. 'I cannot see myself as an entertainer; it's not our aim to please an audience so they go home and say, 'This was a lovely evening,' with a good glass of red wine,' he said. 'Music sends messages about the human condition, about empathy and the heart. We have to uphold these ideals.'
