The Bad News: The first show in Proctors Passport Series has been canceled.

Way Better News: Four concerts remain in the international series presented by Music Haven and the Proctors Collaborative.

The Moroccan desert-blues guitar powerhouse ensemble Tarwa N-Tiniri was to play Thursday, Oct. 16 at Universal Preservation Hall. Tickets had been selling well, based in part on the momentum of a very strong Music Haven series summer of shows from around the globe. But visa problems blocked the band’s entire U.S. tour just two weeks before showtime here.

Bureaucratic barriers increasingly threaten musicians’ international tours. 

Even Neil Young – Canadian born, and a US citizen since 2020 – had expressed worry about being re-admitted to the US from his summer European tour. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Young “has been a vocal critic of Trump for years, describing the reality TV star and business mogul as ‘a disgrace to my country.’ Young also sued Trump in 2020 for the use of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ on his presidential campaign trail.”

Music industry journals report artists barred from entry or deported include Yusuf Islam (performing name Cat Stevens, born Steven Demetre Georgiou), his fellow UK artists FKA twigs (born Tahliah Debett Barnett), U.K. Subs, Bob Vylan and Soviet Soviet; the Hungarian-born British classical pianist Sir Andras Schiff and numerous Mexican artists including Los Alegre del Barranco.

Reaching across international borders, the Proctors Passport Series extends the world-music philosophy of Music Haven’s Central Park programming past the summer outdoor-concerts season. Both series bring often unknown but uniformly interesting creative artists from around the globe to entertain, enlighten and delight audiences here. 

And while Music Haven shows in Central Park feature open, free admission, the costs of operating indoor venues require paid admission for Passport Series shows.

Dec. 5: Melisande (Canada) Innovative acoustic Quebecois folk ensemble. Proctors GE Theatre

Feb. 12 – Vasen (Sweden, with an umlaut over the “a”) Folk ensemble with 20 albums since 1990, including a collaboration with American strings masters Mike Marshall and Darol Anger. Universal Preservation Hall

Mar. 13 – Baklava Express (US) Multi-ethnic, but mostly Middle Eastern-inspired folk-based music with diverse styles fused together. Proctors GE Theatre

May 14 – Yeison Landero (Colombia) Accordion-powered cumbria; rhythmic folk with dance energy and roots in South American, European and African styles. Proctors GE Theatre 

Admission is $25, with full-Series discounts. 518-346-6204 http://www.proctors.org.