Hilary Hahn Cancels Milan Appearance After JFK Airport Strikes

VC Artist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian stepped in at La Scala after Hahn and her team spent seven hours trying to secure a suitable flight

Following a 24-hour stint in John F. Kennedy airport, frantically trying to come up with a workable set of flights, violinist Hilary Hahn has been forced to cancel her planned appearance in Milan. She was due to play the Brahms violin concerto alongside the Filarmonica della Scala and conductor Riccardo Chailly.

VC Artist Emmanuel Tjeknavorian was able to step in at just a few hours' notice, performing the same concerto.

The cancellation comes as part of a string of bad luck for Hahn, who was also recently forced to cancel a Brahms appearance with the San Francisco Symphony due to an illness.

On May 31, Hahn is due to appear at the Seoul Arts Centre alongside pianist Andreas Haefliger for a recital of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas 9 and 10.

"I thought I was going to be playing in Milan on Monday!" Hahn wrote on social media. "However, I am so sorry to share with you that due to problems with my international flights, I couldn’t reach Milan on time for the rehearsals. My team and I were all hands on deck yesterday for 7 hours straight once we knew I was going to have to reroute in JFK. We tried everything."

"24 hours at JFK and four different itineraries later, it was clear I wasn’t going to make it," she continued. "It’s so sad, because I was so close and yet so far. We’re working on getting me back to Italy as soon as possible. I love Italy and I love my Italian fans, and I wish you all a beautiful summer!"