In Reversal, University’s Music School Cancels China Tour Over Exclusion of South Korean Students
“given the particular circumstances of this tour, the best course of action for the Eastman community and the values we share is to wait until the Philharmonia can perform as one”
Eastman Philharmonia is one of the well known orchestras at the music school of the University of Rochester in New York. They came under intense fire this week for excluding South Korean student musicians from a tour in China at the behest of the Chinese government.
The school has now had a change of heart and is canceling the tour.
The Democrat & Chronicle reports:
Eastman School of Music cancels China tour over ban of South Korean members
The University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music reversed course on Tuesday and canceled plans to tour China this winter after China refused to allow the group’s three South Korean musicians to perform.
The Eastman Philharmonia initially said it would go anyway.
Late Tuesday, however, Eastman Dean Jamal Rossi issued a statement saying the tour would be postponed until everyone could go.
“I believe that given the particular circumstances of this tour, the best course of action for the Eastman community and the values we share is to wait until the Philharmonia can perform as one,” Rossi wrote.
Rossi said last week that China’s refusal to approve visas for South Korean artists was in response to the United States’ decision to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea in 2016. He said in grappling with whether to cancel the tour, he worried it would “likely have a negative impact on Eastman’s reputation within China, and potentially limit other opportunities to recruit, perform, and tour for our faculty and other ensembles.”
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Imagine my shock and surprise. How hard did the alumni beat them over the head?
Money talks. I bet some wealthy alum threatened to shut off the spigot unless the decision was reversed.
Oh, so NOW you have values?
Oberlin can eagerly jump into the empty spot on the tour calendar.
What American socialists really mean:
That is, China is right, and America is wrong to defend South Korea from Chinese and North Korean dictatorships.
That is, while other American’s must be supportive of allowing men who self-identify as women into women’s bathrooms or else face boycotts, we socialists have the right to make money any which way we want.
While it would have been much better if China had worked with the USA to put N. Korea on a leash and stop terrifying the region with missile tests this economic action is much better than a military escalation.
—-
Other than issuing angry statements, though, China actually can’t do much to stop the installation of the THAAD system, which began Tuesday. It’s taking out its anger on Korean pop culture instead.
From TV dramas to fried chicken, South Korean products are especially popular among young people in China. They’re also one of South Korea’s biggest exports, earning the country a record $5.3 billion in 2014. China is tapping into that popularity in an attempt to hurt South Korea economically.
Korean TV shows and K-pop music videos have been blocked from streaming in China — one of their biggest and most lucrative markets — Chinese internet users have posted about boycotting Korean beauty products, and Korean celebrities have canceled tours in China.
It may not involve guns or military attacks, but the fierce Chinese counterattack is a pushback against foreign influence, and an attempt to further solidify Beijing’s dominance in the region.
–The surprising reason why China is blocking South Korean music videos and TV – Vox
–https://www.vox.com/latest-news/2017/3/3/14795636/china-south-korea-pop-culture-kpop-attacks-thaad
South Korea: Doing it Gangnam Style! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH1XGdu-hzQ
Seeing nothing to the contrary, it would appear that despite the cancellation/postponement, the young musicians’ majority who voted to abandon their Korean peers have not changed their position. These are musicians of the future with their values unchanged. Or did I miss something?
Simply….an adult walked in the room. Yes, you are correct but since childhood is allowed to continue past graduation from college…not unexpected. Having never been deprived of basic human values, they don’t know their true value. As they say…things not earned have no value.