The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
In Monday’s (8/19) Limelight (Sydney, Australia), Jason Blake writes, “An ‘overwhelming majority’ of the musicians of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) have expressed no confidence in the orchestra’s senior management in the wake of the MSO’s decision to cancel a performance by pianist Jayson Gillham. In a letter communicating the result of a meeting held on the evening of 15 August—the evening Gillham’s concert was to have taken place—the musicians of the MSO” called for the resignations of Managing Director Sophie Galaise and Chief Operating Officer Guy Ross due to the Gillham decision and internal tensions, stating, “ ‘Despite ongoing attempts to engage with senior leadership and provide feedback through formal channels; including committee consultations, employee culture surveys and internal grievance procedures, the response from management has been insufficient, and in many cases dismissive.’… The treatment of Jayson Gillham … demonstrated a ‘continued pattern of behavior.’ ” Orchestra management had cancelled Gillham’s August 15 recital after his August 11 concert, at which “he played Witness, a short piano work by Connor D’Netto dedicated to journalists killed in the Gaza conflict. In introductory remarks to the work, Gillham asserted that the Israeli Defense Force deliberately targets journalists (a claim the IDF has frequently denied).” Orchestra management subsequently admitted that it made an “error” in cancelling Gillham’s recital and stated that it will hold an independent policy review.
