The World Federation of International Music Competitions has expelled the Tchaikovsky Competition from its membership.

President Peter Paul Kainrath and Secretary-General Florian Riem said in a letter, “In a vote following its Extraordinary General Assembly held on 13 April 2022, the World Federation of International Music Competitions has decided with an overwhelming majority of member votes to exclude the International Tchaikovsky Competition from its membership with immediate effect.”

The letter added, “Many laureates of the Tchaikovsky Competition are among the leading artists of today. However, in the face of Russia´s brutal war and humanitarian atrocities in Ukraine, the WFIMC as an apolitical organization cannot support or have as a member, a competition financed and used as a promotional tool by the Russian regime. While our first and foremost goal must always be the active support of young artists, and right now particularly, Ukrainian artists, the WFIMC affirms its previous statement against blanket sanctions on all Russians and against the discrimination and exclusion of individual artists, based on their nationality. In times of war especially, we believe it to be essential to maintain a dialogue with those who trust us and who share our values, the same way as we trust them.”

The Tchaikovsky Competition has launched the careers of many important artists including Paata Burchuladze, Deborah Voigt, Evgeny Nesterenko, Elena Obraztsova, and Van Cliburn, among others.