Column: The human story behind the migrant (2)

The human story behind the migrant is a series of stories from the daily practice of a migration law firm, recorded by Gijs Schabbink, a master’s student in public history. What follows is the second story in this series, centered around creative freelancers. This story is based on a real case and is published with the clients’ permission.

Music transcends borders  

Borys grew up in Kuybyshev, a ‘gated city’ in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Today, this city is called Samara. The city on the banks of the Volga was home to a large part of the Soviet Union’s military aviation and missile industry. To protect these state secrets, Kuybyshev was closed off to outsiders. Like every Soviet city, Kuybyshev also lived under the invisible presence of the KGB, characterised by a system of extensive control that generally allowed people to live ordinary lives, provided they did not openly challenge the political order.

One blind Solfeggio teacher made a particular impression on him. Using homemade radios, he listened to British, American and West German stations. Although he was most probably known to the authorities, he shared the dissenting sounds with his students. ‘He was really very brave,’ Borys recalls. ‘Something about truth. Something about the real situation.’

Borys’ musical talent got him into the prestigious Moscow Conservatory where he got to play amongst the crème de la crème of Soviet musicians. However, not only music was taught, students were strictly monitored and immersed in state ideology; Borys calls it a ‘cathedral of Marxism-Leninism’ as he looks back on the many hours of ideological theory he had to sit through alongside music theory. Even though he had to study ideological subjects as proof of loyalty to the regime, Borys saw it as a price that had to be paid in order to pursue the work that gave meaning to his life. Moreover, the schools also offered access to remarkable teachers and cultural experiences within the limitations of the Soviet system. He met his future wife Tatiana and together they attended many interesting lectures and enjoyed student privileges. Although life in the 1970s and 1980s was marked by constant shortages and limited freedom, which meant lots of queues, a depressing social environment and alcoholism. There were positive aspects as well like the aforementioned student privileges, friendship and the joy of human connection.

After completing their studies, Borys and Tatiana pursued careers as concert pianists and teachers. In 1986, Tatiana was working in Kyiv while Borys was completing his assistantship in Moscow when the Chernobyl nuclear disaster once again exposed the flaws in the system, and made the importance of truth painfully clear. A few days after the explosion, the mass celebrations of the victorious army continued as usual. Whilst the state downplayed the dangers of radiation, young pioneers marched through the streets waving red flags. Borys, who knew from contacts at the university that the situation was more serious, persuaded Tatiana to leave Kyiv to safe her from radiation. She spent less than a year in his hometown before returning however, finding the contrast between the vibrant capital of Ukraine and the more regulated atmosphere of a closed Russian city striking. Borys himself never returned permanently to Kuybyshev after his studies.

The fall of the Iron Curtain brought new opportunities. For Borys and Tatiana, it meant above all artistic freedom: playing with international musicians, taking part in festivals and travelling. During the failed coup of 1991, a last-ditch attempt to preserve the old Soviet Union, Borys was at the Niagara Falls. He was in the United States for a music competition. The coup failed, and their world remained open.

Ukraine remained their base. There they saw how young talents no longer automatically headed for Moscow or St Petersburg, but stayed. The early years of independence were tough: the newfound capitalist system brought chaos and crime in its wake. ‘Grab what you can ’ became the credo of the times. A friend of Borys’, a horn player, was murdered for fifty dollars. At the same time, space opened up for freedom – in education, in thought and in music. Whilst Ukraine and Russia developed into separate states, each with their own languages, leaders (some authoritarian, some not) and historical claims, Borys and Tatiana increasingly lived as citizens of the world. Their gaze was fixed on the West: Italy, the United States, the Netherlands – wherever music took them. Borys, born in Russia and never having spoken Ukrainian fluently, was awarded the title ‘Honorary Artist of Ukraine’ in 2020. Music proved stronger than borders.

Their daughter Anna developed into one of the greatest concert pianists and settled in the Netherlands. There she founded the Davisbündler Academy, a training centre for young musical talent. Her parents joined as teachers. Thus, Borys and Tatiana came to the Netherlands in 2021, a year before the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the period that followed, many followed in their footsteps, whilst others remained behind in the war.

The story of Borys and Tatiana shows that a migrant is never merely a migrant, someone who flees or seeks their fortune elsewhere. Behind that label lies a life full of experiences, convictions and talent. Also, within a state with a monopoly on the truth, Borys and Tatiana found their own path, their own truth. They found it in their art, which transcends borders and connects.

Creative freelancers

If your work as a freelancer in the creative field is of essential interest to the Dutch culture, you may apply for the a residence permit as a self-employed artist. The IND assesses your application in consultation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Processing can take up to 6-9 months, during which you may only carry out preparatory activities if you already hold a valid visa or residence permit.

The permit is initially valid for 2 years and can be extended for up to 5 more years, provided you continue working in the arts, meet income requirements, do not rely on social benefits, and have no criminal record. The permit only allows freelance work—other work requires a separate work permit.

Would you like advice regarding the residence permit as a creative freelancer? Feel free to contact us.