Statement of the WFIMC regarding Russian and Belarussian Candidates

„The World Federation of International Music Competition and its members have condemned in the strongest terms the horrendous war that has caused unimaginable pain and suffering among the people of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the war has caused a growing isolation of Russian and Belarussian musicians, often without differentiation between state-sponsored artists who represent their government´s ideology, and musicians who have taken great risks and gone out of their way to voice their opposition to this war.

The statutes of the World Federation of International Music Competition require its member competitions to maintain the strictest ethics, and to treat its participants with integrity, dignity and humanity. No candidate can be seen as an official of his/her government, and no participant can be automatically declared a representative of an ideology simply because of his or her nationality. To the contrary, our organisation will always protect and support young musicians regardless of where they come from. Using the universal language of music, we encourage young artists to act as ambassadors of dialogue, understanding and bridge building between people.

It is the responsibility of the WFIMC to prevent the instrumentalization of young musicians. With this in mind, we strongly recommend and ask our member organisations not to discriminate against and exclude any young and gifted artists from participating in their competitions. They are fighting for a better future, and they are in dire need of all the support we are able to extend to them.

The board and secretariat of the World Federation is in frequent contact with many of our members, trying to mediate and support where we can. Following many inquiries, we are also in the process of evaluating and discussing the status of our Russian members. A statement in this regard will follow within the next week.

World Federation of International Music Competitions

Peter Paul Kainrath, President”