For years, Donald Trump has been among the most vociferous critics of cancel culture, saying it has "absolutely no place in the United States of America." Perhaps not. But it seems to have found a place in his home town of Palm Beach and the self-described "free state of Florida" where, as Governor Ron De Santis memorably proclaimed, "woke goes to die."
Late last week, the respected Palm Beach Symphony quietly canceled a performance by Vadim Repin, a celebrated Russian violinist, who for nearly a year had been scheduled to be the soloist in the symphony's "Masterworks" program on March 2. His sin – apart from being Russian – was his decision to play in Russian-occupied Crimea and in the Kremlin with the support of an arts fund run by Russian President Vladimir Putin's government. In demanding his cancellation, a local pro-Ukraine group called the Ukrainian Association of Florida also complained that his wife, the ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, is a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party and appears on a Ukrainian sanctions list. Neither artist is on the record having said anything in praise of Putin or his brutal war in Ukraine.
The campaign against the violinist began in January when an outfit called "Arts Against Aggression" demanded that appearances by him and Ms. Zakharova in Europe be canceled, with decidedly mixed results. In Palm Beach County, a local pro-Ukraine group then launched a petition which drew about 200 signatures calling upon the orchestra to cancel Repin; a local television news channel took note. Four days before the concert, following what orchestra insiders described as a contentious board of directors meeting, the symphony emailed ticket holders announcing a "change" in its Monday program. The announcement stated no reason for the change and did not explain Repin's absence, or even mention his name.
As word of the decision spread in the island's arts community, so did outrage. While the concert went ahead as planned, with the Palm Beach Symphony's able second violinist substituting for Repin in a short piece, many subscribers and ticket holders decided to boycott the performance, leaving the Kravis Center of the Performing Arts with an embarrassing number of empty seats.
James R. Borynack, the symphony's board chairman, declined to explain the decision. David McClymont, its chief executive officer, also declined to discuss the board's reasoning, except to say that the board had acted "with seriousness and care." But orchestra insiders said that the board was swayed by a request from the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C., which has actively opposed appearances in the U.S. by Russian artists who have not denounced the war in Ukraine.
Cancel culture doesn't come naturally to Palm Beach or its symphony. In 2020, the ensemble hosted the canceled superstar singer Plácido Domingo in a private concert for top donors just months after he was hit with #MeToo allegations. In 2023, the symphony programmed the world premiere of a symphonic overture from Chinese-American composer Bright Sheng, whom the University of Michigan had removed from his classroom and placed under investigation over allegations of racism. At the same concert, Israeli pianist Yefim Bronfman performed despite a public protest by pro-Palestinian activists. Last year, the Palm Beach Opera featured the controversial Russian soprano Anna Netrebko as the soloist at its annual gala. The sold-out event, with tickets starting at $1,250, was the opera's most successful ever. Last year, the University of Florida's presidential search narrowly headed off Santa Ono, a past champion of DEI efforts, after thin assurances that he had changed his mind.
Repin's abrupt cancellation has baffled Palm Beachers. Could this bastion of Republicanism have flipped blue on cultural issues as more and more New Yorkers assume leadership roles in the island's cultural organizations? Unlikely, since Republicans migrating to the state outnumber Democrats two-to-one. A more plausible explanation is Palm Beach's longstanding tradition of solving problems, or burying them, "quietly." But if silencing Repin was aimed at avoiding confrontation rather than courting it, the move has backfired. At least one major donor to the symphony has said he is reconsidering his financial support for the orchestra. Others are hoping to invite Repin back for a private concert.
Judith Miller is a best-selling author, a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter formerly with The New York Times, and a contributing editor at City Journal. She has co-produced a film on the plight of Ukraine's children.