The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on Thursday tried to extricate itself from controversy caused by its earlier decision to cancel future performances by Australian-British classical pianist Jayson Gillham.
“The MSO acknowledges that an errorwas madein asking Jayson Gillham to step back from his performance on Thursday 15August,” it said in a new statement.
Over the weekend, the musician performed “Witness,” a short composition written by Connor D’Netto which the composer said was “dedicated to the journalists of Gaza.” Before playing, Gillham added his own explanation and called the deaths of over 100 journalists during the conflict in Gaza a “war crime.”
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On Wednesday, MSO management announced that Gillham, a regular performer with the orchestra, would not be playing at Thursday’s concert. It also removed his name from its website.
The announcement that day said: “The MSO understands that [Gillham’s] remarks have caused offense and distress and offers a sincere apology. [The remarks] were an intrusion of personal political views on what should have been a morning focused on a program of works for solo piano.”
The cancellation decision, however, was fiercely criticized by lawyers, the Australian performers’ union Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance and others, who called it censorship.
The MSO backtracked on Thursday, saying that it accepted Gillham’s concerns. But it nevertheless canceled the entire Thursday evening concert due to “safety concerns.”
In a statement emailed to PvNew, management said: “The MSO yesterday sought independent security advice considering events that have occurred since last Sunday’s concert with Jayson Gillham. In light of this advice, the MSO Board and management had nooptionbut to cancel the concert. We apologizetothose who were planning to attend. The MSO acknowledges that an errorwas madein asking Jayson Gillham to step back from his performance on Thursday 15August.We have been engaging constructively with Jayson and his management and are seeking to reschedule the concert.”
The statement continued, “While the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra maintains that a concert platform is not an appropriate stage for political comment, we acknowledge Jayson’s concerns for those in the Middle East and elsewhere. We recognize the strength of feelings of all parties on this matter and particularly acknowledge the dedication and commitment demonstrated by all our musicians and staffthis week.”
Australian media sources report that Gillham has accepted the MSO’s apology and “look[s] forward to our continued working relationship in years to come.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent organization that promotes press freedom, reports that 113 journalists have been killed during the Israel-Hamas war.
