The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) has requested and accepted the resignation of Russian conductor Valery Gergiev as its honorary president.
Estival leaders said they had taken the action “with the concurrence and support” of the citizens of Kyiv, the twin capital of Scotland.
Gergiev is the musical director of the Mariinsky Theater in St Petersburg, Russia, and its White Nights Festival, and conductor of the Munich Symphony Orchestra.
The Prince of Wales (left) chats with Russian conductor Valery Gergiev (John Stillwell/PA)
He was dropped by his management company because of his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement, the EIF said: “The Board of Directors of the Edinburgh International Festival has requested and accepted the resignation of Valery Gergiev as honorary president of the festival.
“Edinburgh is twinned with the city of Kyiv and this action is being taken with the consent and support of its citizens.”
The EIF said the resignation was effective immediately.
The mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, set a deadline Monday to urge Mr. Gergiev to publicly denounce the Russian invasion.
If Mr. Gergiev does not comply, Mr. Reiter has said that he will remove him from his position as chief of staff of the Munich Philharmonic.
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https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/festival-requests-and-accepts-resignation-of-russian-conductor-41395929.html Festival requested and accepted the resignation of the Russian conductor