Ukrainian orchestra’s key members refused visas to play in UK

Key members of a Ukrainian state orchestra were refused visas to play a series of concerts in the UK this month in a “catastrophe” that the promoter claims cost it more than €100,000 (£88,000).

The Khmelnitsky Orchestra was due to tour the UK this month with two shows: The Magical Music of Harry Potter, and The Music From the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit andThe Rings of Power.

The shows had been promoted on the UK government website as an example of British-Ukrainian relations. After the orchestra played the Harry Potter show in Belgium last year, the deputy British ambassador in Brussels, Chloe Louter, hailed it as “an incredible honour to have such an iconic part of British culture being performed by a Ukrainian orchestra”.

The promoter, Star Entertainment, has accused the UK government of hypocrisy.

“They made a big deal out of supporting the Ukrainians but when it came to giving them visas to play in the UK, they didn’t want to know,” said its chief executive, Jaka Bizilj, who is known in the UK entertainment industry after working with Richard Curtis on two film projects and with Bob Geldof on the Cinema for Peace Foundation, which evacuated the Russian dissident Alexei Navalny from Siberia to Berlin in 2020.

He called on the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, to stand down if artists keep being treated like this, saying the immigration difficulties experienced by an increasing number of foreign artists “damages UK citizens, culture and the relationship to Europe”.

A rising number of overseas artists are struggling to enter the UK because of post-Brexit red tape. One such was the German noise rock band Trigger Cut, who were turned away at Calais last week after telling border guards they had day jobs unrelated to music.

“Those responsible for cutting off artists and culture from the UK should be named and held accountable,” said Bizilj. “Bands, musicians and orchestras will not come to the UK any more for risk of not being let in.”

The Ukrainian orchestra was supposed to begin its UK tour with a show in Portsmouth on 1 April. But a day before, key members, including the conductor and four first violins, had still not received visas.

They ended up stuck in Paris for a week, waiting for the British embassy to issue visas. Two days after the tour was due to start, they were told they needed to pay €15,000 for emergency visas.

These 24-hour “express” visas failed to be issued in time, said Bizilj, who accused the UK government of “holding the orchestra hostage” in Paris. “There was no real reason for the refusal. It was just random discrimination of Ukrainian artists,” he added.

He claimed the visas were only issued after Star Entertainment asked the British embassy for an explanation to put in a press release as it planned to inform the media. But it was too late for some of the first concerts – in Portsmouth, the Lowry in Salford and York Barbican.

The Portsmouth show went ahead but with UK-based musicians drafted in at the 11th hour to sight-read the music. They were unable to play the full programme and as a result many audience members demanded refunds, even though the substitute ensemble received standing ovations, said Bizilj.

The Lowry show had to be postponed to 2024 and the York concert to later this month. Bizilj estimates the debacle has cost the company €100,000 in fees, hotel costs and reputational damage.

A government spokesperson said: “Musicians and performers are a valued and important part of UK culture with the country attracting world-class entertainers and musicians from around the globe. This is why we offer a dedicated immigration route for creative workers.

“All visa applications are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the immigration rules.

“Where there are delays in the processing of applications, we will always endeavour to identify how such issues can be avoided in the near future through improvements to our back office function and capability.”