It's come to this

A young Russian pianist who was set to perform with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra this week has been struck from the schedule after protest.

However, the orchestra maintained its praise for 20-year-old Alexander Malofeev, who has been outspoken against the invasion of Ukraine, where he said he has some family members…

Malofeev will no longer be performing on March 9, 10 and 13 in Montreal, though the concerts will still go ahead with different performers.

Some Ukrainian Montrealers had emailed the OSM to ask it to cancel Malofeev’s performances, saying it wasn’t about his stance on the war but about promoting a Russian product, in this case a “cultural product.”