Royal College of Music suspends pianist over Mariupol concert

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A Royal College of Music alumni and tutor Alexander Romanovsky has been suspended following a performance in Mariupol.

The British conservatory cited a social media video in which the Ukrainian-born pianist was seen performing a Schubert sonata outside the ruined Drama Theater, which British media described as the site of a Russian "war crime," alongside another musician.

It is worth noting that the RCM suspended him on Tuesday "pending a formal disciplinary process," as per the Times of London.

The pianist's apparent 'transgression' was performing Franz Schubert's Sonata No. 1 in D Major outside the Mariupol Drama Theater with violinist Petr Lundstrem, who the Times claimed is a "supporter of the Russian invasion."

The drama theater is where "more than a dozen people died in the March bombing," according to the British outlet, which also cited Amnesty International's description of the incident as a "clear war crime."

Ukrainian authorities initially claimed that a Russian airstrike had killed more than 1,000 civilians. The Russian military accused the neo-Nazi Azov battalion, which had occupied Mariupol until May, of blowing up the building while civilians were inside so that Russia could be accused of atrocities. Within two days, however, over 200 people were rescued from the rubble, with only one injured.

Romanovsky's Telegram also purportedly shows him driving through Mariupol while discussing the power of art to bring peace and love to beleaguered communities. 

The pianist told the New York Times on Monday that he plans to travel across Europe in 2021, performing more than 40 open-air concerts to benefit people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and to promote the idea that "live music is a primary need for society."

He felt compelled to do the same in eastern Ukraine, telling The Times that he would be "very happy to visit the other Ukraine territories if possible."

Romanovsky graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2008 and taught at both the Royal College of Music and the Conservatorio di Reggio Emilia in Italy.

The British Royal College of Music was founded in 1882 and was named "the world's top performing arts institution" in April.