HANOI, Vietnam, May 26 (UPI) -- British concert pianist Stephen Hugh will not perform in Vietnam because officials there were concerned about his writings on religion and homosexuality.
Alcoholic beverage company Hennessy withdrew its invitation for to the award-winning musician to play in Hanoi after Vietnamese authorities refused to grant the event a license because they thought it would be a security risk, The Telegraph reported Saturday.
It is believed an official from Vietnam's Ministry of Culture looked at Hough's Web site and saw an article he wrote for a religious magazine, The Tablet, in which he criticized the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality.
The pianist, who is gay, said Hennessy had withdrawn its offer "in order to prevent potentially tense situations with the regime and to safeguard Hough's personal safety," the British newspaper said.
"The engagement was booked six months ago and everything was going ahead with negotiating the fee and travel expenses," Hough said. "Yesterday I found out that the Ministry for Culture and Information had been to my Web site and had decided that they could not guarantee my personal safety."
