Director Arnaud Frilley says the conservatory has lost support from French and Russian donors, citing political concerns surrounding Russian culture and financial restrictions.
The Rachmaninoff Institute in Paris is facing financial difficulties and has lost support from both French and Russian donors, its director, Arnaud Frilley, told RIA Novosti. Direct funding from Russia is technically difficult because of financial and banking restrictions, he said.
Frilley said a French state-support application was rejected without an explanation. He believes political concerns about Russian culture are influencing funding decisions. Some companies avoid working with organisations linked to Russia, while Russian donors living in France are reluctant to publicise their support, he said.
Potential donors have cited ethics committees and told the institute they could not fund a “Russian structure,” Frilley said. He argued that the Paris institute is not a Russian organisation. The interview did not include responses from the French institutions or authorities that declined its applications.
The conservatory was founded in Paris in 1923 by teachers from Russia’s Imperial Conservatories who had left after the revolution. Its founding circle included Alexander Glazunov, Feodor Chaliapin and Alexander Gretchaninov. Sergei Rachmaninoff supported the project and became its first honorary president and principal patron.