Baltimore Symphony Orchestra scolds flutist for social media conspiracy theories

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra fires flutist who spread conspiracy theories

By Joshua Rhett Miller August 4, 2021
https://nypost.com/2021/08/04/baltimore-orchestra-fires-member-who-spread-conspiracy-theories/

Emily Skala — who once posted that COVID-19 was “created in a lab” at the University of North Carolina — has been fired by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

A flutist for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra who was publicly rebuked for her conspiracy-laden social media posts has been fired from the prestigious group.

Emily Skala, whose posts on COVID-19 and November’s presidential election led the orchestra to distance itself from her in February, was terminated as its principal flutist Tuesday in accordance with its “progressive discipline policy,” the Baltimore Sun reported.

“Ms. Skala has had discipline imposed upon her over these past few months,” BSO’s president and CEO, Peter Kjome, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, she has repeated the conduct for which she had been previously disciplined, and dismissal was the necessary and appropriate reaction to this behavior.”

Skala said she was fired Tuesday after 33 years in her role.

“I’ve only ever wanted to state my truth,” Skala, 59, told the newspaper. “I’m not going to publicize what I’m going to do, but I’m not going to sit passively by. The BSO can expect to hear from me.”

A BSO spokeswoman confirmed to The Post Wednesday that Skala had been terminated, but said she had no additional information to provide beyond its statement, citing internal personnel matters.

Skala has taken down the Twitter profile that led to her public scolding in February. Her latest post on Facebook, meanwhile, cites former Soviet journalist and KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov.

“A person who is demoralized can tell nothing from the truth,” Skala wrote while quoting Bezmenov.

A 2003 performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Emily Skala said that she had played with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for 33 years.
Hiroyuki Ito/Getty Images
Skala said she thinks her firing was connected to her decision to not wear a mask as required during a visit to Meyerhoff Symphony Hall to hand in a new W-4 form on July 23.

She didn’t plan to go inside, but found out her keycard had been deactivated when she tried to open the door, she told the Sun.

Skala believes BSO officials considered that to be a violation of her suspension, which barred her from the building, according to the report.

“It’s clear I have been a target at the BSO for quite some time,” Skala said. “From February until now, the BSO has repeatedly violated my constitutional rights in response to audience and donor and subscriber pressure … I would hate for this to happen to anyone else.”

Skala had previously claimed on Facebook that the coronavirus was “created in a lab” at the University of North Carolina before being sold to another laboratory in Wuhan, the Sun reported, adding that some of her other posts were flagged by Facebook for misinformation.

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She also pushed theories of election fraud, but has denied being a “conspiracy theorist” despite her belief that President Biden was not the authentic winner of November’s election.

“To use that word indiscriminately is disrespectful to our critical thinkers and shut down everyone from doing the same,” Skala told The Post in February. “I’m definitely being unfairly labeled for my views.:”

Skala had previously shared a link on Twitter claiming the “mask thing is a sinister fraud” and that doctors and nurses doling out the COVID-19 vaccine would ultimately be “tried as war criminals.”

The flutist also raised eyebrows for retweeting a link from prominent anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. indicating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was looking into the death of a 36-year-old Tennessee doctor who reportedly died after getting his second COVID-19 shot.

Skala said Tuesday she’s looking for a new gig, but recognizes the search won’t be easy.

“These aren’t easy jobs to get,” she told the Sun. “But it’s never worth not trying.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra drops Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa over offensive comments

The Canadian Press Apr 07, 2015
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tso-drops-ukrainian-pianist-valentina-lisitsa-over-offensive-comments-1.3022999

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s decision to cancel performances by a Ukrainian-born pianist over what it calls her “deeply offensive language” is part of a troubling phenomenon that could lead artists to self-censor, civil rights advocates said Tuesday.

Valentina Lisitsa, an ethnic Russian born in Ukraine who now lives in the United States, said in a Facebook post that she has been accused of “inciting hatred” on Twitter because of her comments on the conflict in Ukraine.

I think there is a problem with the message that this sends to artists that they may have trouble getting jobs or keeping jobs if they express views that are unpopular or controversial
- Cara Zwibel, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, on the TSO’s decisionL

While it’s not uncommon for workers to be penalized for expressing opinions on social media that reflect poorly on their employer, it’s difficult to make that case for Lisitsa, said Cara Zwibel, director of the fundamental freedoms program for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

“It’s hard to see the connection between what she said and what the duties of her job are and how it would affect it,” Zwibel said.

Valentina Lisitsa and TSO president talk to CBC’s Carol Off about her comments and the backlash

“If the idea is just that the orchestra wants to avoid controversy, I don’t find that a particularly compelling reason. The fact that maybe there would be some people protesting is, again, not a reason to let her go,” she said.

“I think there is a problem with the message that this sends to artists that they may have trouble getting jobs or keeping jobs if they express views that are unpopular or controversial.”

Speaking out against ‘atrocities’

In her post, Lisitsa said she has been speaking out against the “atrocities” of the civil war, particularly those committed against the Russian minority in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions.

Valentina Lisitsa received support on social media on Monday night following the decision by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. (Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images)
She said she has been “watching helplessly” as her country slides “ever faster into the abyss” and had taken to Twitter “to get the other side of the story heard.”
In a statement released to various media outlets, TSO president and CEO Jeff Melanson said Lisitsa has been replaced due to “ongoing accusations of deeply offensive language by Ukrainian media outlets.”

“As one of Canada’s most important cultural institutions, our priority must remain on being a stage for the world’s great works of music, and not for opinions that some believe to be deeply offensive,” he said.

Lisitsa wrote that someone in the TSO decided she should not be allowed to play “likely after the pressure from a small but aggressive lobby claiming to represent (the) Ukrainian community.”

She added that the TSO will pay her not to perform because she exercised her right to free speech.

The TSO said Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 will go ahead Wednesday and Thursday as planned, but will be performed instead by Toronto pianist Stewart Goodyear.

The controversy sparked a public debate online, with many defending Lisitsa’s right to free speech while others hailed the orchestra’s decision.

“The decision to cancel @ValLisitsa’s concert in Toronto is a black stain upon the @TorontoSymphony and Canada. #LetValentinaPlay,” one wrote.

“Good job @TorontoSymphony! Ban those hate and propaganda spreaders,” another message read.

Performed on Saturday

Lisitsa performed in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., on Saturday and organizers said they were saddened by the controversy.

Christine Mori, founder and artistic director for Bravo Niagara!, said she was aware of Lisitsa’s tweets before booking the concert, but didn’t feel it warranted intervention.

“I knew that there might be some backlash because of her political statements that she was making, but we did not get involved in that and I do believe in freedom of speech,” she said Tuesday.

“She did not speak politically at all at the concert...and we presented her as Valentina the pianist.”

Mori said she hoped Lisitsa’s other Canadian performances would still go ahead.

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