Bolshoi Theater Chief Conductor Resigns Amid Pressure To Condemn Invasion Of Ukraine

Music director and chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater Tugan Sokhiev at the opening ceremony of the new season in Moscow, Russia, September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Sergey Karpukhin

OTTAWA, March 6 – Tugan Sokhiev, chief conductor of Moscow’s prestigious Bolshoi Theater, announced on Sunday that he was quitting his job after he was pressured to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sokhiev also said he was stepping down as an orchestra conductor in the French city of Toulouse, where officials insisted that he clarify his views on the invasion.

“Today I am forced to make a choice and choose one of the members of my musical family, and not another. I am being asked to choose one cultural tradition over another,” he said in an English-language Facebook post.

“I have made the decision to immediately resign from my position as musical director of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the National Orchestra of the Capitole of Toulouse.”

Last week, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra immediately fired chief conductor Valery Gergiev after he failed to respond to calls to condemn the invasion. More

Reporting by David Junggren; Editing Mark Porter

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