The 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is this summer in Fort Worth and organizers will permit Russians to audition.
Russian competitors have been banned from other ventures such as international soccer and the Eurovision song contest.
But while the Cliburn has roundly condemned Russia's aggression, a spokeswoman says, "Russian-born pianists who have applied for the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition are not officials of their government, nor is their participation in the Cliburn state-sponsored."
With many airlines restricting travel to-and-from Russia, the Cliburn will help Russian applicants make travel arrangements.
15 of the 72 pianists auditioning next week are Russian-born.
The competition will be in June at Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth and at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall on the TCU campus.
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