New York Youth Symphony Cancels Carnegie Hall Performance Due to Offensive Content By 21-Year-Old Composer

The New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) has abruptly cancelled a Carnegie Hall performance because it includes a 45-second musical reference to a World War II-era German theme that was considered offensive, which was composed by 21-year-old student, Jonas Tarm. Tarm won the NYYS First Music competition for his piece, "Marsh u Nebuttya," or "March to Oblivion".

Tarm's composition includes references to Soviet-era music. According to reports, "the NYYS received the score six months ago and has been rehearsing it for more than three months. The piece premiered at a performance at United Palace Theater on February 22."

On March 2, Tarm received a letter from NYYS, which stated the "content of your piece... is unacceptable for further performance by a youth symphony for the reasons we discussed."

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has been joined by prestigious national and international groups in protesting the cancellation of the performance this weekend at Carnegie Hall.

In a letter sent today to the New York Youth Symphony's board of trustees and executive director, NCAC urges the organization to reverse its decision.

The letter is co-signed by several prominent organizations devoted to artistic freedom, including PEN American Center, Freemuse, Article 19 and Index on Censorship.

The full text of the letter appears below.

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations dedicated to defending freedom of thought, inquiry and expression.

National Coalition Against Censorship

Dear Mr Garfield and Members of the Board of Trustees,

As organizations dedicated to artistic freedom, we are writing to urge you to reverse the last minute decision to cancel the Sunday Carnegie Hall performance of Jonas Tarm's "Marsh u Nebuttya" ("March to Oblivion") and proceed with the program as previously planned.

Our understanding is that the NYYS removed the commissioned piece from the Sunday program after receiving complaints about the inclusion of a very short musical quote from a notorious march used by the Nazis.

While some members of the audience may have traumatic associations with the march, the same might be true of any artwork referencing painful moments in history. Indeed, Tarm described his piece to the New York Times as being about "conflict... totalitarianism... and polarizing nationalism." Were we to cut from the cultural repertory all work that speaks to the experience of traumatic historical events would imperil our understanding of not only the past, but also of our political present.

For a talented young composer - and for the young musicians in the symphony - to receive the message that a work can be arbitrarily suppressed for its content goes against the precious principles of free speech that distinguish our society from the totalitarian regimes (Nazi and Soviet) referenced in "Marsh u Nebuttya."

We understand that the NYYS was concerned about the reactions of the audience, and may have initially decided that removing the piece from the program would resolve the problem. As organizations that work with censorship controversies on a daily basis, however, we assure you that suppressing controversial work is never a good solution.

There is nothing that can damage the credibility of a cultural institution as much as act of censorship.Cultural institutions can play a crucial role in promoting understanding and peaceful dialogue in a world of conflict, but only if they stand up to pressure groups from all sides.

We hope that you will seize the opportunity to reverse this hasty decision to remove the Jonas Tarm's piece from the program and find other ways to address audience concerns: a talk-back with the composer or other musicians, for instance, would give a space for audience members to express their concerns in ways more productive than a demand for silence.

Sincerely,

National Coalition Against Censorship (New York)

21-year-old composer, Jonas Tarm, also responds on his website:

It has been an honor and pleasure to rehearse my music with the New York Youth Symphony and conductor Joshua Gersen. These fellow young musicians are some of the most artistically advanced and mature musicians I have been able to work with.

I am disappointed and confused by the decision of the president of the board and the executive director of the NYYS to cancel my Carnegie Hall debut. This composition, titled "Marsh u Nebuttya" (Ukrainian for "March to Oblivion"), is devoted to the victims who have suffered from cruelty and hatred of war, totalitarianism, polarizing nationalism - in the past and today.

To emphasize that point in musical form, I briefly incorporate historical themes from the Soviet era and from the World War II Germany. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (UkSSR) national anthem lasts about 45 seconds and the German Horst Wessel Lied also lasts about 45 seconds in the nine-minute work. This piece was not meant to provoke but to evoke.

This is the program note I provided to the NYYS in September, 2014:

PROGRAM NOTE

???? y H?????? [Marsh u Nebuttya]

Dedicated to the victims of hunger and fire

Completed August 1st, 2014.

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow

-T.S. Elliot

NYYS had no complaints regarding the program note being too short or insufficient until six days before the Carnegie Hall concert.

The NYYS has had the score to "Marsh u Nebuttya" since September. They've rehearsed this piece for over three months; and I attended several of those rehearsals. They performed the piece on Feb. 22, 2015 at the United Palace Theater in New York. On March 2nd, just days before its Carnegie Hall performance, the executive director of the NYYS told me that these themes, these instrumental quotes, are potentially offensive. Concerns about the content in this work were never mentioned to me until March 2nd.

The old joke about how do you get to Carnegie Hall - you practice. Apparently you also have to self-censor. I'm disappointed that this work will no longer have the ability to speak for itself.

I'd like to sincerely thank the people who have supported me and asked my work be heard.

- Jonas Tarm
March 4, 2015