From Boston to Leningrad: The BSO, Stravinsky, and Cultural Diplomacy

Pre-concert panel hosted by Carla Dirlikov Canales In September 1956, at the height of the Cold War, the Boston Symphony Orchestra arrived in Leningrad at the invitation of the Soviet Ministry of Culture, becoming the first American orchestra to tour the Soviet Union. Six years later, Stravinsky— born in Russia, made famous in Paris, and an American citizen since 1945—returned to his homeland for the first time in 48 years.   Music has always had a unique power to reach across political divides, and this continues to hold true in our contemporary landscape. Join mezzo-soprano and cultural diplomat Carla Dirlikov Canales (Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, a U.S. State Department Arts Envoy since 2005, and the Biden Administration's first Senior Advisor and Envoy for Cultural Exchange) as she leads a conversation with fellow musicians and policy thought leaders from Harvard Kennedy School. This multi-disciplinary panel will explore the artist in exile, how identity travels across borders, and how culture continues to endure through geopolitical tension, shedding new light on one of Stravinsky's most performed ballets. Panelists to be announced