Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Removes Pianist from Program Following Remarks on Gaza
Jayson Gillham had introduced a work in a recital about the plight of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, but the MSO said his comments were "made completely without authority"
The British-Australian pianist Jayson Gillham has been removed from an upcoming concerto appearance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO), after he introduced and premiered a new work dedicated to journalists in Gaza during a solo recital on August 11, 2024, in MSO's Iwaki Auditorium.
In the recital, Gillham performed a short new work by the Australian composer Connor D'Netto, titled Witness, which was written for Gillham and is dedicated to the journalists of Gaza. Prior to playing it, Gillham made some brief remarks regarding the plight of these Palestinian journalists.
The Sydney Morning Herald received from Gillham the text of his spoken introduction, which reads:
"Over the last 10 months, Israel has killed more than 100 Palestinian journalists. A number of these have been targeted assassinations of prominent journalists as they were traveling in marked press vehicles or wearing their press jackets.
"The killing of journalists is a war crime in international law, and it is done in an effort to prevent the documentation and broadcasting of war crimes to the world. In addition to the role of journalists who bear witness, the word witness in Arabic is shahid, which derives from the same root word as shaheed, meaning martyr."
"I knew that it was a Sunday morning and that there were going to be young people there as well — for instance my niece and nephew were there — and I wanted to make sure I got the tone right," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
He was “surprised at the strength of the reaction” by the MSO to his words, and says he "wasn’t made aware of anything that I wasn’t allowed to say or do, and it was normal to introduce the works.”
Following the recital, the MSO immediately withdrew Gillham's upcoming concert with the orchestra, replacing his Mozart concerto with Beethoven's Symphony No. 8. The MSO also sent a letter to the recital attendees, condoning Gillham's remarks in relation to Witness.
"Witness was accepted for performance at the request of Mr Gillham on the basis that it was a short meditative piece," the MSO stated in the letter. "Mr Gillham made his personal remarks without seeking the MSO’s approval or sanction. They were an intrusion of personal political views on what should have been a morning focused on a program of works for solo piano.
"The MSO does not condone the use of our stage as a platform for expressing personal views. The MSO understands that his remarks have caused offense and distress and offers a sincere apology. In standing for humanity and peace we seek for every one of our performances to be a welcome and safe place for all."
According to The Guardian, the MSO made its X account private a few days later on August 13, and restricted comments on some of its posts on Facebook.
The Palestinian-Australian composer Nahed Elrayes noted that during the recital, Gillham also performed a work by Holocaust survivor György Ligeti, and had spoken about the political and historical context of that piece. In their letter, the MSO does not mention Gillham's remarks on Ligeti, or any other composer on the program.
Additionally, the Media, Entertainment, and Arts Alliance (MEAA) released a statement on the matter, saying that "musical and artistic expression have long been a vehicle for political commentary and a lens through which we examine the world, and MEAA is concerned that freedom of expression is being compromised across the creative workforce."
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