The Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis has announced a new project entitled “Utopia.”

Vienna’s Der Standard is reporting that the controversial conductor is creating this project which is not an orchestra in the usual sense of the word, but “a unique creative community of like-minded people who have dedicated themselves to the search for the best sound and the true spirit of the musical work.”

“Utopia” already has 112 musicians from 28 countries on board and is set to perform in October at the Wiener Konzerthaus.

The conductor said, “This is an attempt to break away from respected institutions that have great merit, but at the same time are at times trapped in an internationally standardized sound. We are entering a more experimental field in which we are all looking for the perfect sound together.”

Musicians will come from Armenia, Australia, China, Germany, Israel, Austria, the USA, Russia and Ukraine. 

The news comes as the conductor is facing pushback over his orchestra Musicaterna, which is funded by a Russian bank that is aligned to Putin. Currentzis has continued to perform in Austria and most recently opened the Salzburg Festival. The conductor has not said anything regarding his backing from Putin’s banks and has not released a single statement regarding the war in Ukraine.