Exclusive: CBSO’s anti-semitic adviser
OrchestrasThe chief executive of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Emma Stenning, has appointed a Community Board of local leaders and activists.
The Board, in her words, is A group designed to build connections with a diverse range of voices across Birmingham and help the orchestra to engage more proactively with communities in the region that are currently under-represented in classical music. The Community Board will meet with CBSO staff and musicians regularly throughout the year to discuss the orchestra’s work and ways in which it can be more relevant and impactful to communities across the West Midlands.
One of the Board’s members is Mukhtar Dar, artistic director of Kalaboration Arts.
The image below is from one of Mr Dar’s artworks.
It shows Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, sitting on a pile of skulls – a classic antisemitic trope.
His Instagram page has even more offensive images.
These are some of the ways Ms Stenning apparently thinks the CBSO can be more relevant and impactful to communities across the West Midlands.
Absolutely shocking. His account is literally the top of the list on a Google Search.
Either Emma Stenning supports these images or she failed to do even the most basic checks.
Her job is untenable.
What’s your problem? Typical old and stale white man. Concerts at The Symphony Hall are fully of people like you. Birmingham’s got a Diverse Population the CBSO’s not Representing, it needs to change!
Emma’s Determined to make a Difference, the Community Board and Associates are helping her to make this an Achievement. Emma announced Mukhtar and the Board in April already so why the fuss today? It’s seriously like you guys are a hate mob.
Mukhtar brings a Unique Angle with Insight and Relevance. The CBSO needs to listen to Diverse Voices like his or else they’ll be stuck in the past! Why don’t you Join Us instead of Hate Us?
What are you all worrying about? Where there’s Mukhtar there’s brass. Thank you, Dar.
A unique angle like anti-Semitism, it seems.
This is all very upsetting for Emma. She’s had incredible success in her past roles.
Have you considered being nicer and stopping these posts? Maybe something more joyful? There’s too much negativity
When will Emma start listening and caring?
Her phone policy still says:
‘We are very happy for you to take photographs and short video clips at our concerts. Drinks purchased from the Symphony Hall bar can be taken into the hall.’
Why did she send subscribers a letter saying ‘to put your mind at ease, we are not encouraging filming at our concerts’? Is it because she was worried about low ticket sales?
She’s a stubborn, manipulative liar who only cares about herself.
This is not her phone policy it was introduced by her predecessor. When are you people going to get your facts right?
She’s the CEO, of course it’s her policy.
In April flyers were handed out asking the audience to record so they could use it on their social media
https://slippedisc.com/2024/06/cbsos-shifting-policy-on-the-use-of-phones/
She gave interviews in support of it
https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/orchestra-audience-mobile-phones-young-fans-birmingham-b1155093.html
Will you say that to the Charity Commission when they investigate her actions?
When will Emma realise that telling people to be joyful isn’t a solution?
It’s sad she’s in this situation but she dug her own hole. This is what happens when you prioritise your own agenda instead of prioritising your audience.
TOUGH. All these negative comments have happened BECAUSE Emma is out of her depth and behaving like Frau Hitler.
Nothing would have appeared in the press or on Slippedisc (Sorry Norman) if she hadn’t gone about everything like a bull in a china shop. I feel sorry for the orchestra, but there is only one person to blame for all this and it’s EMMA. She’s past her sell-by date.
Why the random capitalisation? It makes your prose seem jingoistic and shouty.
It’s not random 🙂
Important words get Capitals so everyone knows to give them more Respect
Thanks for the interest and support!
“Important words get Capitals so everyone knows to give them more Respect”
Brilliant, ISE: one of your best. Though the shriek marks do seem to be falling off somewhat, pity.
PS Thanks for the interview. I have completed the initial transcription & first edit, and will now let it suppurate [subs please check if correct word] for a couple of days. As discussed, you have waived approval since I have guaranteed that the final text will be only the Words What You Wrote.
You have to earn respect. Neither EMMA nor ‘I support Emma’ deserves ANY respect because they have shown no respect to anyone else.
I’m beginning to think “I Support Emma” actually IS (note the capitalization) Emma! Bringing drinks into the concert hall? What’s next a “quick shag zone” in the back balcony?
The random caps are part of the parody, “Pass the ear protectors”. But yes, even as parody it is all a bit noisy and wearing (whence presumably the huge reduction in shriek marks). I think the spoof has run its course, frankly. But I got an interview out of ISE which I still hope to publish.
iSE is either taking the p*ss or is a raging Antisemite. Either way he/she needs to be blocked from this and any other blog they soil with their provocative garbage. NL, this is your site. Clean it up!
The woke among us believe “diversity” is including those who celebrate suicide-bombing martyrs who aim to kill innocents, like children, at an orchestra programming committee. Emma is swinging (her/CBSO’s) support behind Hamas with such affiliations.
The only diversity Hamas seeks is in lining the harem with under 18s.
In order to achieve audiences that reflect Birmingham’s ethnic diversity, I suggest that there should a limit on the number of ‘old, stale white men’ allowed to attend concerts. Programmes should also reflect the same diversity.
Yes, I’ve always thought that classical music should be reaching out to the anti-Semitic and pro-terrorist communities…
Dear I Support Emma
As you know, I have been enjoying your parody column, and “Mukhtar brings a Unique Angle with Insight and Relevance” is a cracker.
But given the appalling recent upsurge in antisemitism as exemplified by Mr Dar himself and his truly eye-watering artworks (which may well pass the threshold for prosecution), I do think you need to be a little more careful here. I suppose that is the trouble with broad satire, though it certainly has its place (as you have shown).
Otherwise, ISE, please never change: we love you!!!
ACB
That a load of crass stupidity for I Support Emma. Why t you just give up 99% of all the comments on Slipped Disc are against Emma and she only has herself to blame. SHE IS A JOKE.
How did this pass any checks? There’s ignorance and then there’s Emma Stenning.
I’m not giving money to the CBSO to spend on this. I’m booking an appointment with my solicitor to take the CBSO out of my will.
Disgraceful!
Miss (sorry, Ms) Stenning couldn’t have missed these anti-semitic posts. They’re also all over the social media pages of Kalaboration Arts, the organisation Miss Stenning referenced when announcing the board. Impossible to miss.
This is a woman who heard someone complain about her phone policy, tracked down his address from his seat number and sent him a threatening message.
Another reason to speed her departure. As if another one was needed. Truly disgusting stuff from Mr Dar. He could put Mr Sinwar’s head on top of the same skulls “necessary sacrifices” as he described his own people……
Emma did checks and went ahead with it despite our concerns… She pushed this Community Board and now she’ll have to face the consequences.
She always hides from criticism (her motto: ‘there will always be a variety of opinions’). But this is a new level.
My guess is she’ll come out with a big fake apology and hope the situation disappears. As her marketing team always say: ‘move on’.
She will only move on if people let her. Hold her accountable.
She deleted her Twitter account after someone tagged her in a post saying it’s disrespectful to use phones in concerts.
Is she sensitive or arrogant?
Most likely, she is hyper-both.
I suggest subscribers demand an Extraordinary General Meeting to thrash out all these conflicting messages from the management, to ensure that subscriptions, donations, bequests (which are dwindling), ticket monies go entirely towards the activity of the orchestra, that the orchestra step back from Arts Council-decreed social engineering, and that the CBSO resumes its proud place as a beacon of artistic achievement for those whose passion is classical music in this great city. The orchestra is relevant to its supporters, not to anyone who needs to be dragged in off the street with spurious inducements.
So she’s ignoring all of our feedback but literally paying this man to get feedback from this man instead.
We should have seen the signs earlier.
Remember Emma’s ‘5 Objectives’? No.3 is:
‘We will collaborate and share creative opportunities and resources across the many communities in our diverse city, with the aim of driving real social change and expanding the talent pipeline into the creative industries.’
Why is Stenning asking this extremist for advice on how to run an orchestra? I’m sure he’s never set foot in a concert hall. It’s beyond a joke.
We’ve all seen the I Support Emma posts recently. Now that we’ve seen this, how can we know what is genuine and what is parody?
Emma first went to a concert when she was in her 30s. Remember she had no experience with music before taking the job.
I wrote before on here how she’s surrounding herself in a bubble and genuinely believes she’s right. That’s why she’s ploughing ahead with her agenda despite the criticism.
I’m not a parody, I’ve already said many times I’m Associated with the Community Board to Help Emma Achieve the Masterplan. If you don’t Believe me read it from Emma herself
https://cbso.co.uk/stories/a-new-vision-for-the-cbso
I’m part of Emma’s Vision and the Future of CBSO 🙂
So tell us who you are, full name and role.
Is illiteracy a prerequisite for the job?
Upvote if you think Emma should resign.
Downvote if you think Emma should stay as CBSO CEO.
Emma is going NOWHERE!
She’s got the best Support Team and a clear 10 Year Plan for the Future.
As long as the donors keep paying (which they will) nothing will change.
Thanks for your support
I gave a downvote not because I support her but because I’d love to see what batsh*t crazy things she does next
A “10 year plan?” Nobody has a 10 year plan. Even Stalin settled for 5.
Isn’t amusing that in all such ‘plans’ everything seems to get rosey near the end of the chosen period. Hers will be no different.
“Emma is going nowhere!”
Ain’t that the truth. Unfortunately she is dragging the orchestra along with her on the road to nowhere.
Emma is going NOWHERE…I couldn’t put it better myself. The tragic thing is, under her leadership, the same is true of the CBSO.
Nothing “clear” about Emma’s 10-year Plan for the Future; she’s already backtracked several times within ONE year (caps for emphasis, according to your tenets). And what a cynical attitude towards donors — who are indeed stopping paying.
I moved to the US many years ago but grew up in the UK and remember the CBSO well under Fremaux and then Rattle. They toured here recently and were wonderful. The fish rots from the head and this head needs removal – pronto.
Three lunatics so far…
I’m sure Emma and Beki are texting their friends right now asking for help…
Beyond belief and inexcusable! Stenning surely can’t continue any longer?
Emma’s car crash continues.
This is heartbreaking for us in the orchestra. We had a terrific Madam Butterfly on Saturday. We just want to play great music and be supported.
We need a solution.
Please remember this is no criticism of the players or the orchestra but the management of same.
I can jump behind this and say the players of the orchestra are loved and respected by almost everyone. Your playing is better than ever.
The criticisms are firmly against your CEO. The players would never have asked or wanted for the damage she is inflicting.
This stunt may do her in. CONTACT YOUR MP, City Councilman, Mayor, whatever you have. Contact the press. I have no doubt Slippedisc has wide reach in music circles but I can assure you that outside them it has precisely none.
But do it with care. There are free speech and artistic licence issues here. This man is probably partially funded by some misguided arts committee. However, what is presented above is reprehensible and, as stated, a signature anti-Semitic trope — a version of blood libel. No public figure wants to be associated with that. And they will not want a publicly funded orchestra to be associated with it either.
Letters to the Board might have some use: music people might not be familiar with this sort of work. But as I suggested to someone having trouble flying with a violin — and we have had years of nonsense about airline policies on musical instruments and the refusal of ground staff and in-flight crews to honour written policies, even in the face of printed evidence of them and recorded inquiries and confirmations, it’s no use just whingeing here. Take it to people with leverage: the media, the politicians, senior people at the company.
ACT.
See my comment about the urgent need for an Extraordinary General Meeting.
So sad all of this…..
In this crazy world Music is the one thing that binds us all, It should never divide
Her priorities are in completely the wrong place.
She ignores all feedback from subscribers, but pays a public anti-semite with zero musical experience for advice.
She accuses the orchestra of being racist, but in the same breath she believes concerts must be dumbed down so that black people can enjoy them.
She talks about rising costs, but blows cash on unpopular lighting and films.
She talks about respect, but spends concerts drinking her way through them and disturbing those around herself.
She talks about joy, but threatens to ban devoted subscribers from concerts who have raised concerns.
She encourages people to take pictures and videos during concerts (still in the official policy), but tells subscribers she has never encouraged this in the hope they keep buying tickets.
When the criticism started, she deleted her social media accounts and stopped replying to letters from patrons, then a few weeks later gave a presentation on how to make the CBSO more relevant (her word).
Y’all need to take a good, long, hard look at yourselves. You’re obsessed. It’s starting to stink more than a little of misogyny, especially since most of what is posted here on this site (regurgitated in your comment) is trumped up half-facts. ‘She drinks her way through concert’ smh
Emma can’t claim misogyny every time someone criticises her. It is possible to criticise a woman for the actions she chooses.
I sat behind Emma at Symphony Hall before. She had a drink in her hand that she finished while the orchestra was playing. Everyone else around me didn’t drink because it’s disrespectful to others in the audience and to the players.
I’m not DK but I can back what he says. Many others can too. If Emma drinks in public during concerts, she cannot be offended when people talk about it (and sharing is NOT misogynistic).
Exactly Perse!
Emma’s critics are Misogynistic and Racist
Emma actually wants people to drink in concerts to make them more Appealing
Do people need a drink in order to make a concert more appealing? Would it have failed otherwise?
Christopher, don’t feed the troll. And remember to capitalise ‘appealing’.
Got you. Everyone who reads Slipped Disc has it wrong and Emma’s actually perfect. Why don’t you blame us for the Community Board too?
How will this woman be able to show her face again at Symphony Hall?
Oh I forgot, she doesn’t care.
She’ll sit there with another drink in her hand determined that she hasn’t done anything wrong.
See for yourself who Emma chose for advice on how to run an orchestra:
https://www.instagram.com/mukhtar.dar_/
Beyond puerile, isn’t it?
I have been waiting for this to surface on here. The information about the community panel and its constituents has been in public domain for some time.
This has gone from a joke to very serious.
Stenning (and her supporters on here) have been vocal about making the CBSO audience look less white.
Now we see she is getting ideas from this man.
Where does it stop?
Glad to see CBSO has spare cash for irrelevences. God forbid the orchestra spends money on musicians. Who needs musicians?
Events since Ms Stenning’s arrival have been appalling to those of us who have regularly attended concerts in recent decades, but this latest development turns the issue into a ghastly nightmare. I have already cancelled my modest contributions to the orchestra’s finances while money is spent in this way.
I am amazed the orchestra continues to perform so brilliantly in such a hostile environment.
Jews should leave the UK before it is too late.
And go where?
To the only place in which they can try defend themselves.
Israel, so they can eventually rebuild it. Then they can stay and enjoy.
Are you referring to Gaza?
This is secondary to the main issue here but I don’t think there’s any evidence that the individuals on this quasi-board is receiving money from the organisation. Arts sector board members are not paid. This is the UK, not the USA, however much the commenters on this site seem to struggle to tell them apart.
It would be interesting to receive a full explanation from Emma. How much are these people paid? Why were they chosen? What have their suggestions been?
It is very damaging considering regular patrons are feeling ignored right now.
Being anti-Israeli Government is not necessary the same thing as being anti-Semitic is it? I disagree vehemently with the apartheid state in Israel but that doesn’t mean I think the state of Israel shouldn’t exist…
The Stars of David framing skulls and bloodied hands? Come on, don’t pretend this is something else…
Please supply evidence that Israel is ‘an apartheid state’.
In the “apartheid state in Israel”, arab citizens vote, get elected to parliament, serve as judges and become generals, are over-represented in the legal & medical professions. Strange kind of apartheid – oh, and unlike the real thing in South Africa, there is no segregation.
Yeah? Could an Arab family move into a settlement community?
Excuse me for intruding in this discussion. I have a question though: I don’t think the CBSO shows on their official site those ‘artworks’ from Mr.Dar? I guess they are taken from Mr.Dar personal website?
So the connection implicit in the title and the op picture (the CBSO share mr.Dar’ views) is quite misleading to me. It is also misleading the collectionn of pictures grom Mr.Far associated to the CBSO official logo, as if they appear part of the same image.
This does not mean that I am justifying Mr.Dar’s pictures (my view here is irrelevant) but I don’t think one can accuse ‘the CBSO’ (and the board (again, my opinion on the board is irrelevant) of something done in their private website by their employers. At most, they can take action against it (and I am sure they will respond).
The article you’re responding to only says this is one of Dar’s artworks, which is exactly what this is. It doesn’t say it’s on CBSO’s website.
At most, I presume, the article is designed to make us reflect on whether CBSO did due diligence on the members of their Community Board. It’s hard, in this case, to argue that they did.
It appears Biden, Sunak are guilty of war crimes and Netanyahu is a wanted man, makes no difference whether he’s jewish or not. They all have blood on their hands as does the other side.
I don’t think there should be leniency, there wasn’t with Ceaușescu and there wouldn’t have been with Hitler.
They are in the middle of finding a new Head of Marketing (salary: £50k).
I wonder how that’s going?
I’ve been stenned into shocked disbelief at her lack of due diligence!
My heart initially skipped a beat cos I actually thought she’d hired an adviser ON anti-Semitism. Hey ho!
Is it possible to oppose Israeli government policies without being accused of anti-Semitism?
And is it possible to denounce Hamas’ murder of innocent Israelis without being denounced as anti-Palestinian?
The only way to reach-out to communities who don’t know anything about classical music and lure them into the concert hall, is to provide good information within these communities about the art form and about the orchestra and concert hall, and to offer cheap tickets, since these communities are often poor and non-Western in terms of culture.
Nothing else. And certainly not adapting the concert formats and programming to the ignorance of newcomers.
Classical music in it’s essence cannot be described as entertainment. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and many later and modern composers offer a wordless illumination of the human situation… of “life”.
The new CBSO policy of attempting to diversify the audience is admirable. However it seems to be based on the supposition that “entertainment”, having a “good time”, not being “bored” is the future. The old style classical concerts were not like that, and for those that persisted in listening to that music, gave some indescribable experiences. The opportunity of hearing such concerts is much rarer now, especially in Birmingham!
Enough, enough, enough.
Respect and devotion to musical ideals appear to be as endangered in Birmingham as democracy and rule of law are in my country (U. S. A.).
Yes –we have just seen the result of stuffing the Supreme Court.
This website is like the left when they call everyone racist. I guess you just don’t like a mirror showing you what you’re doing. Apparently caring for people is bad now. What a screwy universe you’ve concocted for yourself.
What particular people are not being appropriately cared for? Jews?
Mr Lebrecht, please could you explain why you continue this negativity when the arts in this country is on its knees? As a recently no longer required member of Northern Ballet orchestra (along with the other 25 members) I have lost my livelihood, income and career because of the continued destruction of the arts in the UK. I am extremely sad that you seem to be joining in with this. Please can I kindly ask you to stop this, as professional musicians we are all in an incredibly vulnerable position at the moment and you are not helping!?
Ms Gilbert, The arts in this country will never get up off its knees until… it gets up off its knees. We are helping and saving the arts by calling out mismanagement – in this case, a CEO who makes war on her audiences – with the aim of achieving improvement. I am gutted at what happened at NB orchestra and continue to campaign for its restitution. best wishes, NL
Just thinking about Sir Simon in Lederhosen having a great big chunk of Leberkäs’ and a Mass of Helles for lunch while screening the British news and learning all about what Little Miss Mismanagement is doing to “his” CBSO.
Would he take notice?
Would he really care?
Or is this hyper-inclusive woke approach to management even inspired by his own activities in the ghettos of Berlin and Munich?
Remember “Rhythm is it”?
Or is all this ado about inclusion simply a social fig leaf covering the otherwise exclusive parts and practices of the classical music business?
Er no, Rattle’s outreach work in Berlin was modelled on his previous work in Birmingham, where it was widely admired.
And the CBSO ceases to be “his” orchestra more than a quarter of a century ago. Round about the time most of the commenters on this site last attended a concert in Birmingham, to judge from the general level of expertise on display.
Have the Board of CBSO nothing to say about the roil surrounding the activities of their CEO? On the face it the appointment of Dar must have gone through some process of approval and it therefore reflects not just on an individual but on the whole of those who have a responsibility to look to the good name of the CBSO.
It could be inferred that either the CEO is given a free hand to act arbitrarily or the board are in full agreement with her conduct.
Or, given the total indifference to Culture in its widest sense by politicians at both local and national level, what happens at what remains one of the leading cultural institutions in the country doesn’t really matter at all.
“It shows Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, sitting on a pile of skulls – a classic antisemitic trope.”
How come it’s “a classic antisemitic trope” and not just one fairly obvious way of expressing disapproval of events that involve large numbers of deaths?
I looked at the staff pages for the CBSO. As near as I can tell from photos, there are 55 whites and 15 POC with 8 of those POC comprising the entire Community Board. Minus the Community Board the numbers are 55 to 7. 51.2% of Birmingham’s population come from ethnically diverse backgrounds but only 21.4% of the CBOs administrative staff. Minus the community board the percentage of POC is only 12.7%. The community board was created to correct that imbalance. It’s a brave and serious initiative.
With the 55 to 15 ratio, I think there is now far more diversity in the CBSO staff than in most US and European orchestras. The minority groups most often represented seem to have a heritage from India or Pakistan though I can’t be certain.
Maybe not yet time to start howling with outrage. Let the community board do its job. Things will smooth out as they learn to work together.
Hi William,
I would say that the relevant comparison for ethnicities should be the whole of the area 50 miles or less from Birmingham. Birmingham Council is no longer a significant funder of the Orchestra and the Arts Council is supposed to support the regions (we all pay tax). I have had conversations at Symphony Hall with people from Cheltenham, Nottingham, Leicester, North Wales, Shrewsbury, Telford, Stoke, all over the place. Very few from Birmingham itself. I travel from the Bedford area.
Not only ‘more relevant and impactful’, don’t forget Stenning has declared CBSO will be more ‘anti-racist’ next season…
she must be fired immediately. Then may she and her loved ones experience their own October 7th. Didn’t the Board do even the minimum investigation into her background? Total negligence on their part.
I think the Board are more to blame than Emma. They may have been dazzled by her ideas, without having the expertise to think through their implications. Give her her due, she is being consistent as to what she was offering.
Is “anti-Netanyahu” automatically a synonym for “antisemitic”? Just asking, since even prominent Jews describe some members of Netanyahu’s government as “fascist” (e.g. Eva Illouz, an Israeli professor of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, about his Minister of National Security).