Getting out of one鈥檚 own head can be difficult for any performer, but the task weighed heavily on , who performed Tuesday in Fort Worth as Russian forces on his home country of Ukraine.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy at all,鈥� Choni said in response to whether he had trouble focusing on his performance. 鈥淥f course I鈥檓 thinking of my parents, of my family who are still in Ukraine. But, well, I don鈥檛 know. I tried to focus on my performance today.鈥�
He skillfully flew through renditions of Debussy鈥檚 鈥淭he Happy Island,鈥� Ginastera鈥檚 Sonata No. 1, op. 22 and Ligeti鈥檚 Etude No. 5 鈥淩ainbow鈥� in front of an intimate audience.
Of the 72 artists from across the world auditioning for a spot in this summer鈥檚 , he is the sole Ukrainian pianist in a field with just over a dozen Russian competitors.
On March 3, the Cliburn issued a statement condemning the Russian attacks on Ukraine and explained its decision to allow Russian pianists to compete. Festival officials noted the history of the competition and its namesake鈥檚 at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, which they described as 鈥淥ne of history鈥檚 greatest testaments to the transcendence of art.鈥�
Today, the Cliburn releases the following official statement:
— The Cliburn (@TheCliburn)
Choni said he had many more pressing concerns than who else was auditioning.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about personal approach, so I鈥檓 not judging by nationality,鈥� Choni explained. 鈥淚f a person is kind and good and peaceful, I鈥檓 totally fine.鈥�
is an associate professor of political science at the University of Texas at Arlington with a focus in international relations. When asked whether prohibiting Russian musicians from competing would have any effect on Russia鈥檚 foreign policy, his response was direct.
鈥淭he short answer is no,鈥� Sasley said. 鈥淚n addition to just the sheer number of people, it would just be too small to affect Russian policy. It wouldn鈥檛 matter to him (Putin) anyways because he believes in Russia鈥檚 historical greatness. He believes that Ukraine is part of Russia. He believes that this is what Russia should be. It鈥檚 a great power and therefore it should recapture its territories and have its own sphere of influence in the area. And nothing is going to force him to change his mind.鈥�
Although Sasley can understand why some people might want to take a stand and voice their concern, he said, it鈥檚 also important to note the impact of bans on artists, academics and athletes.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones who are normally most critical of their governments. And so the argument against banning them or boycotting them is that you鈥檙e hurting the people who are most likely to speak up or provide information to those who are interested in knowing what鈥檚 going on.鈥�
The cost of speaking in opposition to the Russian government鈥檚 policies comes at a high price. NPR just under 5,000 protesters were arrested in Russia over the weekend, and some were met with violence. No Russian pianists were made available for interviews out of concern for their safety and their families鈥�. In the classical music world, severing ties to Russia is an especially difficult task, even beyond deciding who can or cannot compete.
鈥淚 love Russian music,鈥� Choni said. 鈥淢any of them were also immigrants, you know, as Rachmaninoff, as Stravinsky or Prokofiev. (He) came back to the Soviet Union, but still. They all had their own story. And, it鈥檚 complicated. It鈥檚 impossible to just cut off all the Russian composers. So, of course I will be playing some Russian music. I mean, it鈥檚 a part of our repertoire.鈥�
Choni said he鈥檚 been in contact with his family members during his trip to the United States. They have sought safety outside of their hometown of Kyiv, but he said they don鈥檛 want to leave the country.
Searching for the right words, Choni described music as a form of escapism.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always kind of a hide-away, I don鈥檛 know if the word is correct, from what鈥檚 going on in the world. And, through the music, you can try to project the best possible emotion, the optimism, the hope through the music. And well, this is something you can do for (other) people and for yourself.鈥�
