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Visa snafu strands musician

Blocked from performing, Czech Philharmonic player still awaits embassy response

By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
March 28th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Even though Poslední agreed to perform for free, he was denied a U.S. tourist visa.
According to the U.S. Embassy, nine out of every 10 Czech citizens who apply for a visa to visit the United States are approved. But it’s that one in 10 that leaves Czechs wondering whether they’re really considered allies.
Case in point: Jiří Poslední, a viola player with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra whose plans to perform at a January concert in Blacksburg, Virginia, were scuttled when he was denied a tourist visa. Poslední was caught in a bureaucratic Catch-22 that has left him wondering if the embassy is even willing to help him get a refund for a plane ticket he couldn’t use.
Poslední had been invited to Blacksburg by David Ehrlich, a violinist whom he first met in the summer of 2005 at Ameropa, an annual gathering of Czech and American musicians in Prague. Ehrlich, who runs a chamber music series called Musica Viva, enjoyed playing here, as well as Poslední’s hospitality (he and his wife, Teresa, stayed at Poslední’s home last summer), and wanted to reciprocate.
“I thought Jiří’s musicality, sound, sensitivity and chamber-music skills were exceptional,” Ehrlich said via e-mail. “We became friends, and I requested Ameropa management to arrange a collaboration.”
Poslední was slotted for a Jan. 28 concert, for which he would not be paid. Because Musica Viva has had visa problems with visiting artists in the past, it no longer pays for their services, offering only room and board and reimbursement for travel. “I have checked the law in the U.S., and it seems that if there is no fee, it is legal for us to engage a visiting person just for expenses,” Ehrlich said.
Poslední has been to the States twice before — in fact, he’s literally been around the world performing with the Czech Philharmonic. But this was special. “David and Teresa are nice people and good friends,” he said. “It meant very much to me to be invited.”
Poslední started the visa application process last November, and said that in a phone call confirming a Dec. 13 interview, he was cautioned against making any money for his performance. But, during the interview, he said, he was told he had to provide a letter stating that admission would not be charged for the concert. That was impossible, as the concert was advertised on the Internet and tickets were already being sold.
He wasn’t out on the street five minutes after the interview, he said, when his mobile rang and the requirement changed again: One of his interviewers told him he would need a P-visa (a work visa for athletes and entertainers) to enter the United States. That effectively killed the trip, as a P-visa typically takes months to obtain.
Entreaties by Ehrlich were fruitless. “I tried on numerous occasions to talk to the U.S. consul, but I was not able to get beyond a recorded message,” he said. “And, when I left a message, no one called me back.”
Poslední has had the same experience trying to get a refund for his unused ticket, which the airline agreed to, provided he can produce a letter from the embassy confirming that he was unable to get a visa. Two e-mail requests to the consul’s office were answered with assertions that his visa was not denied, only postponed.
In a registered letter sent to Consul General Stuart Hatcher Jan. 18, Poslední explained the situation in detail and asked again for a letter of confirmation. There has been no reply.
“We can’t comment on the specifics of any individual case,” said Victoria Silverman, the U.S. embassy press attaché. Instead she suggested consulting the visa regulations, which indicate that a P-visa is required for entertainers in most cases “regardless of the amount or source of compensation.”
Though the concert is a moot point, Ehrlich is still concerned about Poslední getting reimbursed. “I am very upset about this,” he said. “If denying Jiří a visa was legal, how can they now turn their back and not write that it was their decision?”
As for Poslední, with the 2,200 Kč ($105) visa application fee added to the cost of the ticket, he is out nearly 20,000 Kč. But his dignity seems to have taken a harder hit than his wallet.
“Nothing against Americans, who were kind to me during the interview, but I feel insulted,” he said. “I’m a respected professional, but I was treated like I’m a bad person.” Asked if he would try again, he shook his head no. “I don’t want to go to the U.S. anymore, not even with the orchestra. Why go somewhere you’re not wanted?”
    
    
    
   

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


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