Music Diplomacy and U.S.-Soviet Cultural Exchanges | Decoding Shostakovich

Arik Burakovsky, Associate Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, host
Alan Henrikson, Emeritus Professor of Diplomatic History, panelist
Carla Canales, Cultural Diplomacy Fellow, panelist
Gabrielle Cornish, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the Mead Witter School of Music, University of Wisconsin—Madison, panelist
Ivan Kurilla, International Scholar in Residence at Wellesley College, panelist
Victor Romanul, violin

SHOSTAKOVICH Romance from The Gadfly, Op. 97a
Selections from SHOSTAKOVICH Five Pieces (arr: L. Atovmian for solo violin)
 I. Prelude
 II. Gavotte
 IV. Waltz

Presented in collaboration with The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Department of Music at Tufts University, this panel discussion will explore 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.