Russian violinist Vadim Repin, who is scheduled to perform in Maryland this November, is facing calls from Ukrainian groups and officials for the engagement to be canceled.

Repin recently told Russia’s TASS news agency that no final decision had been made about his U.S. appearances and that the matter rested entirely with the organizers. He said he had faced similar situations before, including during engagements in Italy and Germany.

Repin is scheduled to appear with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra at Maryland Hall on Nov. 6 and 7 as part of its “Force of Nature” concerts, performing Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

In late August, the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States urged the orchestra to cancel his appearances, citing his participation in cultural events backed by the Russian government or linked to Russian institutions.

The embassy specifically pointed to Repin’s performance at a concert marking Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day, organized by a Kremlin-linked foundation. Ukrainian officials also said that a foundation established in Repin’s name to support the arts had received funding from Russia’s Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives after the war began.

On Aug. 26, Repin was added to the database of Myrotvorets, a controversial Ukrainian website whose operators accused him of publicly supporting Russia. The site is not an official Ukrainian government sanctions list, but inclusion in its database often brings public pressure and raises security concerns.

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra has not announced whether it will change the program. Repin said he had nothing further to add until the orchestra reached a decision.

According to the latest publicly available information, the concerts remain listed on the orchestra’s website, with Repin still named as the featured soloist.

This is not the first time Repin’s plans to perform in Annapolis have been disrupted. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a concert he had been scheduled to play with the orchestra was reworked into a special performance in support of Ukraine.

At the time, the orchestra said its decision to replace the Russian soloist was both a response to the war and a reflection of Repin’s nonpolitical stance, as well as concerns for the safety of the violinist and his family.

The controversy surrounding Repin has widened this year. Ukrainian officials say the Mannheim Philharmonic in Germany, the Hungarian National Philharmonic and the Palm Beach Symphony in Florida have all reconsidered or canceled engagements involving him.

Ukrainian groups in Maryland also launched a petition this summer calling on the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra to replace Repin. Several hundred people have signed it.