Balanced News: From the Archives, 1983: Soviet violinist defects to Australia

Nelli Shkolnikova, a Soviet violinist, has defected to Australia and will work as the first artist-in-residence at the Victorian Arts Centre. Mrs. Shkolnikova has been renowned as a concert violinist for over 30 years and is considered one of the best women violinists in the world. Mrs. Shkolnikova has received a contract giving her two years to pass on her experience and knowledge to students at the neighbouring Victorian College for the Arts. Mrs. Shkolnikova’s arrival is notable not only for this, but for the fact that she is the first Soviet performer Australians have seen in a long time. The Federal Government has banned cultural exchanges between the two countries since the Russians invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The Immigration Department has given her a visa of indefinite duration, obviously on the ground that she has turned her back on Soviet authority and is not acting on behalf of the Soviet Union. Mrs. Shkolnik