The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on Thursday tried to distance itself from the controversy sparked by its earlier decision to cancel future performances by British-Australian classical pianist Jason Gillham.
“The Montreal Symphony Orchestra acknowledges that it made a mistake in asking Jason Gillham to withdraw from his performance on Thursday, August 15,” the Montreal Symphony Orchestra said in a new statement.
Over the weekend, the musician performed “Witness,” a short piece written by Conor Dennetto that the composer said was “dedicated to journalists in Gaza.” Before playing, Gilham added his own interpretation, describing the deaths of more than 100 journalists during the conflict in Gaza as a “war crime.”
The Moscow Symphony Orchestra announced Wednesday that Gilham, a regular with the orchestra, would not perform at Thursday's concert and removed his name from its website.
The announcement issued that day stated: “The Mississippi Bureau of Transportation Services understands that [Gillham’s] If your comments have caused offense or distress, you should offer a sincere apology. [The remarks] “This was an intrusion of personal political views into what was supposed to be a morning focused on a programme of works for solo piano.”
But the cancellation decision has been heavily criticised by lawyers, the Australian Artists Federation, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and others, who have called it censorship.
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra reversed its position on Thursday, saying it accepted Gillham's concerns. But it cancelled the concert scheduled for Thursday evening entirely due to “safety concerns.”
In a statement emailed to diverseThe MSO management said: “The MSO yesterday sought independent security advice regarding the events that have occurred since last Sunday’s concert with Jason Gillham. In light of this advice, the MSO Board and management had no choice but to cancel the concert. We apologise to those who were planning to attend. The MSO acknowledges that it made a mistake in asking Jason Gillham to withdraw from his performance on Thursday 15 August. We have been engaging constructively with Jason and his management and are seeking to reschedule the concert.”
“While the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra stresses that the concert stage is not an appropriate venue for political commentary, we recognise Jason’s concerns for those in the Middle East and elsewhere. We recognise the strength of feeling on all sides on this issue and particularly acknowledge the dedication and commitment shown by all our musicians and staff this week,” the statement continued.
Australian media sources reported that Gilham accepted the MSO's apology and “is looking into it.”[s] “We look forward to continuing our working relationship in the years to come.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent organization that works to promote press freedom, says 113 journalists were killed during the war between Israel and Hamas.
