Musician Aliye Cornish (L) and London-based Dutch viola player Michiel Wittink,a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, pose for pictures in London on March 12, 2019. As the Brexit saga reaches a crescendo, classical musicians based in Britain fear that a disorderly divorce could threaten their European livelihood and stunt the development of potential maestros. Viola player Aliye Cornish told AFP she was particularly concerned because she is due to start a European tour in Spain on March 30鈥� a day after Britain is scheduled to leave the EU. (Photo by BEN STANSALL / AFP)
LONDON 鈥� As the Brexit saga reaches a crescendo, classical musicians based in Britain fear that a disorderly divorce could threaten their European livelihood and stunt the development of potential maestros.
Viola player Aliye Cornish told AFP she was particularly concerned because she is due to start a European tour in Spain on March 30 鈥� the day after Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union (EU).
鈥淎t the moment we have no formal guidance on how to prepare,鈥� she said.
Like many classical musicians in Britain, Cornish spends months every year working in the EU.
Their concern is that bureaucratic uncertainty will mean missing out on jobs.
鈥淚鈥檝e heard stories of colleagues having offers of work retracted from ensembles in the EU 27, who are concerned there may be too many restrictions in place,鈥� she said, taking a break from a rehearsal in the historic surroundings of London鈥檚 St Anne and St Agnes church.
Paul Smith, co-founder of the world-renowned Voces8 vocal ensemble, said Brexit was a central topic in discussions with promoters.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much planning that goes into taking a group of musicians into Europe,鈥� he said.
With a form from the tax authorities, British musicians can currently 鈥渉op on a Eurostar or a plane鈥� and work in the EU, said Cornish.
鈥淎fter March 30, we don鈥檛 know if the HMRC form will be valid, we don鈥檛 know if we will need passports for instruments, we don鈥檛 know if we will need work permits.鈥�
Risk of red tape
Musicians may have to prove that their instruments do not contain endangered materials, throwing up the prospect of lengthy custom checks post-Brexit, she said.
鈥淭he worry is once you leave a common rule book. If you鈥檙e trying to get an orchestra from a rehearsal in London today to a concert hall in southern Spain tomorrow鈥� you really don鈥檛 want to be stuck at a border for four hours while people pore over every key of your harpsichord,鈥� she said.
Smith, a baritone singer, composer and conductor, said he too was concerned about the potential consequences.
鈥淭he longer we have to spend doing this (red tape) the less opportunity we have to do the core things we want to be doing 鈥� performance and inspiring the next generation of young people to fall in love in music,鈥� he said.
Cornish used to play with the European Union Baroque Orchestra, which has relocated from Britain to Belgium due to Brexit.
He believes that young British musicians will miss out through not being able to play in EU projects.
鈥淚t gave me the chance to see countries I鈥檇 not been to before, to play music I didn鈥檛 know, meet people I wouldn鈥檛 have met otherwise and I came out of it knowing that was I wanted to do for the rest of my life.鈥�
鈥楤itterly divided鈥�
Smith worries that without EU-funded projects, Britain 鈥渕ight end up in a cultural wasteland鈥� with no support from the top down.鈥�
He estimates that around 25 percent of the members of major British orchestras come from the EU, and that audiences could suffer if the talent pool was restricted.
London-based Dutch viola player Michiel Wittink, a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, which has also moved from Britain to Italy, told AFP that the introduction of visas 鈥渨ould make it a different story鈥� for continental musicians.
But he also thinks that if they 鈥渞eally want to come,鈥� they will find a way.
鈥淟ondon is so big, and has so many orchestras in one city, there鈥檚 so much to do, there are amazing things to explore,鈥� he said.
London鈥檚 showpiece classical music event, the Proms, has also found itself centre stage in the Brexit debate.
European flags were handed out at the final night, traditionally a colourful display of British patriotism.
Cornish, who took part in the initiative, said that 鈥渁 lot of people really went for them.鈥�
鈥淚t makes me sad to see how bitterly divided we are as a country,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 permeated into every facet of our lives.鈥� /kga