Trump bans Armenian Austrian pianist

This classical music video from Armenia says about itself:

Nareh Arghamanyan: Khachaturian – Piano Concerto, Part 1

09.05.2012 KHACHATURIAN GALA

Yerevan, Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall

Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra (APO)

Eduard Topchyan, conductor

Nareh Arghamanyan, piano

By Norman Lebrecht:

Austrian pianist cancels US tour due to visa issues

January 30, 2017

The outstanding young pianist Nareh Arghamanyan has just posted this message:

I am very sorry to tell that due to unforeseen visa and border circumstances, I am forced to cancel the upcoming tour in the USA and Canada.

Sad for her, sad for the orchestras and audiences.

Nareh is Armenian by birth, Austrian by residence. Still in her 20s, she is extensively recorded.

…

Ms. Arghamanyan states: “I am holder of an Armenian passport (still waiting for my Austrian citizenship). The problem is that my Schengen visa is still in process (applied in November) and the usual traveling document which the Austrian government is giving to travel across the Atlantic is not being accepted by US border anymore, and I had to fly to Canada after the US and come back to Vienna via the US”.

Performers in the classical music field have joined the widespread protest over the Trump administration’s attempt to ban the entry of refugees and visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries that he has branded the sources of terrorism. Symphony orchestras in major US cities (and many smaller cities as well) have large and growing numbers of immigrants in their ranks, and the music they perform is international in scope and history. Visiting orchestras, of course, consist almost entirely of non-US citizens: here.

The cases of Aaron Gach, Mem Fox, United Vibrations, Soviet Soviet and others: Artists, writers, musicians detained and bullied by US customs and border officers: here.

Artists who were harassed at the US border speak out: here.

Afghan all-girl engineering team denied US visas while robot granted entry. Students mystified by decision and forced to watch competition on Skype as US caught in wrangling over President Donald Trump’s ‘Muslim travel ban’: here.

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