After performing in Chicago in February, the esteemed German violinist Christian Tetzlaff decided: He’s not coming back to the United States. At least not anytime soon.
That boycott will include a show that was scheduled for Chicago in October, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra announced Tuesday.
Tetzlaff told the New York Times in February the canceled shows are due to anger over actions taken by the Trump administration, like embracing Russian leader Vladimir Putin and slashing the federal workforce.
While the classical powerhouse was among the first international musicians to call off his U.S. engagements, he’s not alone. A growing wave of performers — like German pianist Schaghajegh Nosrati and Canadian folk singer Bells Larsen — have canceled shows in the States, either in protest of President Donald Trump’s policies or due to fear that they could be stopped or detained at the border amid confusing changes to immigration and visa practices.
German violinist Christian Tetzlaff has said he is canceling U.S. shows due to anger over actions taken by the Trump administration.
Photo by Giorgia Bertazzi
Visa issues recently postponed a pair of FKA twigs performances at Chicago’s Salt Shed and led to the cancellation of Michelada Fest, which was scheduled for July at Oakwood Beach.
The disruption in the international talent pipeline portends real headaches for American orchestras and performance venues, which regularly rely on international superstars. Not only do these touring players drive ticket sales as guest performers, but in the classical world, international musicians also often fill permanent seats of ensembles.
“If the visa process remains difficult or unpredictable, orchestras may find it harder to secure top-tier talent from abroad, which could limit the artistic potential of these institutions,” Charlotte Lee, who runs New York’s Primo Artists, a top classical music management agency, said in a statement to WBEZ.
Lee’s company represents leading musicians from around the world and, as she put it, helps them “navigate their careers globally.” She said there’s been a noticeable shift in performers’ desire to come to the States since Trump was inaugurated for a second term in January.
“Even with a visa, there’s real concern that entry could still be denied without explanation,” Lee wrote in an email this week. “This is especially troubling for politically outspoken artists or those from more scrutinized regions.”
British musician FKA twigs performs on day three of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2016. FKA twigs rescheduled a spring concert at Salt Shed due to visa issues, an issue of increasing concern among international touring musicians.
It all comes at a pivotal moment for one of the world’s top-tier orchestras. The CSO has selected the Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä to be its next music director. While he won’t officially start until 2027, Mäkelä is already helping to fill vacant roles in the orchestra. In January, the Venezuela-born violinist Gabriela Lara became the first player hired by Mäkelä, and while in town this spring, the incoming maestro held auditions for other CSO openings.
Mäkelä said then that he isn’t concerned about the ability to recruit top talent to Chicago.
“The Chicago Symphony is such a wonderful institution that people want to play here, and that brings us very good candidates,” Mäkelä said. “You can choose from the best. But then, if you don’t find the best, then you do a new audition.”
But, some of the CSO’s seasoned veterans are keeping an eye on the political landscape. Longtime CSO trombonist Michael Mulcahy, who is originally from Australia, said he’s “very concerned” about players not wanting to come to the States right now.
“There are some people who don’t feel secure to travel here,” Mulcahy said. “And we have people living in this country who don’t feel secure to leave and try to come back.”
Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä, who will become music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2027, said he isn’t concerned about the ability to recruit top talent to Chicago. But some players are keeping a close eye on shifting geopolitics.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
As the busy summer season nears, entities like the Grant Park Music Festival and Ravinia Festival are also watching the shifting landscape closely.
Grant Park, which programs free outdoor concerts, regularly hosts international artists. In a statement, the Festival’s general manager, Chris Collins said so far, the lineup is intact — but the festival is looking to the future and adjusting its risk calculations by putting new parameters on whom organizers invite.
“Luckily, we haven’t had any issues for this year,” Collins said. “For our planning for 2026, we definitely are only looking at artists who have American residency status or have existing visas through that period, given the current climate.”
A spokesperson for Ravinia said the festival is “preparing diligently” but hasn’t had any issues yet. A June appearance by the India-based trio The Mohan Sisters was canceled due to “unforeseen circumstances,” but the group’s management did not specify further details.
Lee of Primo Artists said despite the “chilling effect,” the hunger to perform in the U.S. is still generally strong among international artists. She said they’re advising performers to travel with caution and prepare thoroughly.
Yet all the planning in the world can’t always keep up with the pace of geopolitics. Kelli Morgan McHugh is a musical theater instructor at Northwestern University who specializes in voice lessons for transgender and nonbinary singers. She had planned meticulously for a symposium in April hosted together with scholars from Australia’s University of Sydney. The topic: more inclusive vocal practices.
Just weeks before the event, McHugh got a call from her Australian counterparts: They didn’t feel safe traveling to the United States, given the topic of their research and their own personal identities. McHugh was crushed but said she thought their concerns were valid.
“It’s the first time in my life as an American that I had been confronted with people saying: ‘We do not want to come to the United States,’ ” McHugh said. “I’ve just never experienced something like that.”
McHugh, whose program received some private funding, said she had support from higher-ups at Northwestern to forge ahead.
Her planned five-day symposium morphed into a three-hour event, with the Sydney scholars at home in Australia, coming to the United States only via Zoom.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.