The Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham has been sanctioned by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra after making remarks from the stage that were offensive to Israelis and to Jews. Gillham, 37, had inserted a piece that was dedicated to ‘Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza’. He is associated with multiple online propagandists on the pro-Hamas side of the conflict..
The Melbourne Symphony has issued this letter to subscribers:
During Jayson Gillham’s performance yesterday (Sunday 11 August) Mr Gillham made a series of introductory remarks prior to giving the world premiere of the Conor D’Netto piece Witness, a late addition to the advertised programme.
Witness was accepted for performance at the request of Mr Gillham on the basis that it was a short meditative piece. 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. Mr Gillham will not be performing in the advertised concert with the MSO this Thursday night at Melbourne Town Hall. Customers will be advised of this change to Thursday’s program as soon as possible.
The MSO was at no point made aware of the content of the remarks Mr Gillham was intending to make. They were made completely without authority.
The MSO understands that his remarks have caused offence and distress and offers a sincere apology. It has been a priority for us to address this difficult situation today.
The MSO’s values are Respectful, Collaborative, Innovative and Diverse and they are at the heart of what we do and how we act. They guided why we accepted the work to be performed, and why we’ve acted as a result of the unauthorised statements. Music brings people together and that is why one of our guiding principles is “We unite our individual strengths and celebrate our unifying love of music, fostering understanding and belonging”. In standing for humanity and peace we seek for every one of our performances to be a welcome and safe place for all”
Yours in music,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Slippedisc has reached out for comment to Gillham, who is represented by a Polish boutique agency.
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