Members of the Ukrainian orchestra denied British visas

Key members of the Ukrainian orchestra have been denied visas to perform in the UK. Tour promoter claims ‘disaster’ cost him more than £88,000 and accuses British government of hypocrisy

Key members of the Ukrainian State Khmelnytsky Symphony Orchestra have been denied visas to hold a series of concerts in the UK this month – leading to a “disaster” that the promoter says cost him more than 100,000 euros.

According to The Guardian, the Khmelnytsky Orchestra was scheduled to tour the UK this month with two concerts: The Magical Music of Harry Potter and Music from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Rings of Power.

These shows were advertised on the UK government website as an example of British-Ukrainian relations. After the orchestra played The Harry Potter Show in Belgium last year, Deputy British Ambassador to Brussels Chloe Lowther called it “an incredible honor to have such an iconic piece of British culture performed by a Ukrainian orchestra.”

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

“They did a great job supporting the Ukrainians, but when it came to getting them visas to play in the UK, they didn’t want to know,” said Yaka Bizil, chief executive. He urged Culture Minister Lucy Fraser to step down if artists continue to be treated in this way, saying the immigration difficulties faced by a growing number of foreign artists “are hurting British citizens, culture and relations with Europe.”

A growing number of overseas artists are battling to enter the UK due to post-Brexit red tape. For example, German noise rock band Trigger Cut was denied entry after they told border guards they had a non-music day job.

“Those responsible for expelling artists and cultural figures from the UK must be named and held accountable,” Beasil said. “Bands, musicians and orchestras will no longer come to the UK due to the risk of not being allowed in.”

The Ukrainian orchestra was supposed to start their UK tour with a concert in Portsmouth on 1 April. But the day before, the key members, including the conductor and the first four violins, had 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 supposed to start, they were told they needed to pay €15,000 for emergency visas.

Those 24-hour “express visas” were not issued on time, said Beazil, 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 against Ukrainian artists,” he added.

He claimed that the visas were issued only after Star Entertainment contacted the British embassy for clarification in order to publish the press release, as it planned to inform the media. But it was too late for some of the first gigs.

So the show in Portsmouth continued, but at 11 o’clock British musicians were invited, but, according to Beazil, they could not play the full program, and as a result, many viewers demanded a refund.

The promoter estimated that the fiasco cost the company €100,000 in royalties, hotel expenses and reputational damage.

A British government spokesman said: “Musicians and performers are a valuable and important part of the UK’s culture as the country attracts world-class entertainers and musicians from all over the world. That’s why we offer a special immigration route for artists. All visa applications are carefully considered on their individual merit in accordance with immigration regulations. Where there are delays in the processing of applications, we will always strive to determine how such problems can be avoided in the near future by improving the functions and capabilities of our back office.”