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Italian orchestra stages walkout in protest of Russian violinists’ exclusion

The orchestra's president Paolo Petiziol stressed that the orchestra would take part in the competition if the organizers changed their mind

ROME, May 23. /TASS/. Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia Symphony Orchestra (FVG Orchestra) will not take part in an international violin competition in Gorizia after the organizers have excluded three Russian violinists, the orchestra’s president told TASS on Friday.

"We made the decision at once, upon our own initiative along with our artistic director," Paolo Petiziol said. "Excluding contestants simply for being Russian nationals is a serious incident. Soon we might as well start excluding Christians, Muslims or Jews and will find ourselves back in the Middle Ages."

"We are waiting" for the organizers to respond, Petiziol said, adding the orchestra would take part in the competition if the organizers changed their mind.

"Anyway, we have secured the Gorizia mayor’s permission for the Russian violinists’ to perform at one of the city’s sites irrespective of the competition," he said.

In late March, the orchestra organized a concert in support of Ukraine, Petiziol recalled. The funds raised were spent on humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Lidiya Kocharyan, a Russian violinist, revealed that she was expelled from the Rodolfo Lipizer Prize competition, set to take place in September, on social media. A total of three Russian female contestants have been excluded, Italian media reported.

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