Austrian singer Conchita Wurst has canceled her performance scheduled for tonight at the Edinburgh International Festival, after British authorities denied visas for the members of the Syrian trio Basalt, with whom she was to give the concert.
"Due to the unfortunate fact that my friends Amjad, Noor and Almonther, from (the group) Basalt, have not been successful in applying for visas to be able to enter the UK, I am not going to act tonight" in the contest Scottish, announced today the winner of Eurovision 2014 in its account of the social network Facebook.
"We all regret it, because we were excited to be there," added the artist, also known for his beard.
He explained that instead of going to the Scottish capital, they send a video to Edinburgh, which is already hanging from the Facebook account of Conchita.
"To all who act, visit and organize the festival we wish you a great evening. We have them in our hearts," he concluded.
Conchita and Syrian musicians Amjad Khaboura, Noor Eli Khoury and Almonther Alshoufi, who have been living in Austria for two years, were to perform live their song "Small House", to be sung in English and Arabic, as an Austrian contribution to the Project "New European Songbook" of the European Broadcasting Union.
Precisely, the main theme of the contest this year is integration and cultural exchange.
"Our successful initiative transcends borders, despite refusal to grant visas by the British authorities," Martin Traxl, the Austrian agency responsible for the contribution of the ORF, Austria.
"Even if Basalt and Conchita can not physically be in Edinburgh, they are present with a video message and the recording of the premiere of the song 'Small House' at the renowned festival."
