To the Governor of Maryland, the Mayor of Annapolis, Elected Officials, the Administration and the donors of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Administration of Maryland Hall, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, Members of the Press, and the Annapolis Police Department. 

This notice serves to inform of our  intent to conduct massive, peaceful, and lawful protests both outside and inside Maryland Hall regarding the upcoming performance of Vadim Repin with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra (ASO).

Despite our repeated efforts to engage in constructive dialogue, our community’s concerns have been met with silence. To date, the ASO has ignored our open letter, a petition signed by over 800 residents, countless emails, and a formal appeal from the Embassy of Ukraine. This persistent disregard for the deeply held values of our community and the diplomatic sensitivities regarding state-sponsored cultural figures during an ongoing war has left us no choice but to escalate our advocacy.

We are now organizing a series of massive, peaceful, and legal protests to take place both on the grounds of Maryland Hall and within the concert venue itself. Please be advised that there are many established, lawful ways to conduct such protests within concert venues, and we intend to exercise these rights fully to ensure our message is heard.

Through these protests, the orchestra and its audience will learn more about the war crimes of the Putin regime, represented by its cultural ambassador, Vadim Repin. They will also experience a fraction of the reality faced by Ukrainian civilians under daily Russian missile and drone attacks. 300 Ukrainian artists and cultural figures murdered by Russia will be present in spirit at our protest.

We believe that cultural institutions have a responsibility to consider the ethical implications of the platforms they provide. By hosting an artist with close ties to the current Russian regime, the ASO is actively choosing to ignore the distress of the Ukrainian-American community and the broader public.

We request that you take immediate action to address these concerns before the event date. We remain committed to ensuring these demonstrations are conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner, and we trust that law enforcement and venue management will respect the right of citizens to engage in protected speech.

–Arts Against Aggression