The Tufts University Department of Music, the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra present a solo violin performance by Victor Romanul and a panel discussion exploring the role of music in cultural diplomacy, focusing on Dmitri Shostakovich and U.S.-Soviet cultural exchanges. As a composer deeply entangled in the political and artistic currents of his time, Shostakovich was a towering cultural figure of the Cold War era. His works were alternately celebrated, scrutinized, and politicized by both Soviet and Western audiences. The panelists will examine the historical and political dimensions of U.S.-Russia musical connections, the broader significance of cultural diplomacy, and the ways in which Shostakovich’s life and music reflected and influenced Cold War tensions, offering insights into the enduring power of culture in international relations.

Panelists will be Arik Burakovsky, associate director of the Fletcher School’s Russia and Eurasia Program (host); Alan Henrikson, emeritus professor of diplomatic history; Carla Canales, cultural diplomacy fellow; Gabrielle Cornish, assistant professor of musicology at the Mead Witter School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison; and Ivan Kurilla, international scholar in residence at Wellesley College.

Reserve free tickets on the event web page.