UK pianist is sacked for anti-semitic rant
NewsThe 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. UPDATE: Gillham issues clarity statement.
Here’s a further sample of Gillham’s naive public thinking:
What did he say that was antisemitic? Dedicating a piece to Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza is clearly not.
But supporting a terrorist gang that sees its first task as the destruction of Israel, obviously is.
Well yes. Saying “killing journalists is bad” is different from saying “Hamas is good”.
Glad we cleared that up.
Which comes back to the question, ‘what did he say?’ Because the MSO statement says nothing about Hamas or about what he actually said.
As can be seen above, he called Israel’s attempts to destroy Hamas as a genocide.
And so does the ICC
I suggest you look up the meaning of the term ‘anti-Semite’.
He said that Israeli forces specifically targeted and killed journalists in Gaza.
Issue is that it’s the audience of the MSO who paid money for music rather than his political opinions…
But, of course, if he voiced his support for Israel (or Ukraine or Venezuela opposition or any other Deep State Pet Project) this would be different, correct?
I wonder whether he includes the many ‘journalists’ – such as those who worked for Al Jazeera – who were active members, in some cases ranking officers, of Hamas, and in some cases took part in October 7th. And how about the Israeli journalists killed in Hamas’s onslaught? For that matter, has he dedicated a piece to the journalists, or anyone, killed in the far-more-destructive wars in Yemen, Syria or Myanmar?
Do you have any sources for this claim about Al jazeera journalists being Hamas members, apart from official Israeli sources? The vast majority of journalists killed by Israel over several decades have had nothing to do with Hamas.
How do you know this? One was killed while holding hostages
Who Beheaded how many thousands in the name of THE MERCIFULL.. in Syria at the same time Wiping Out an ‘Infidel’ sect to the last man.
And how many Thousands one will never know sadly Hamas who we need for verifiable numbers has not given us the Figure and that’s for only the Opponants side…any number must included what Dr Assad (Opth) had already unleashed on his own co-believers…in the name of his Hypocratic Oath ?
And Isis in Syria are now ‘quiet’…but HAS IT STOPPED are they now Pacifists.
Niet Niet…Far from it !
However as always,only the Innocent Suffer and what might bring this immediate tragedy to an end…any guesses ?
Removal of Nethan….?
Return of the remaining Innocent Hostages…if any left ?
A piano Sonata ?
Ideas welcome indeed needed as it must stop.
Well do you know what he said ? And why is he selecting this particular topic to virtue signal to an audience who may not care for his signaling .
What would you say to a composition dedicated to the 1,200 Jews murdered by Palestinians on October 7?
Robin, he was given permission to play the piece. It was the speech that was the problem. The facts are that journalists have been killed. It is yet to be proven that they were killed deliberately because they journalists
If a piece of music was dedicated to the Jewish people murdered by Hamas, I would listen with an open heart and appreciate the composer’s creative response. Just as I would a composition dedicated to the many journalists who have been killed while reporting in Gaza. Why can we not feel horrified by both — and appreciate that art does not exist in a vaccum but is often a response to political events? Facts can be disturbing, but that doesn’t make them offensive. The argument that introducing the context of this composition equates to an ‘anti-semitic rant’ is utterly absurd.
Rachel, once in a while I come across a comment that makes me at once happy and sad: happy because it has such good sense, sad because good sense like this is so rare. Thank you.
He did actually perform a piece on that very same program about victims of the holocaust.
Right, and they’ve done how many fundraisers “for Ukraine” so far? I wonder where all that money actually went.
To the fascists in Ukraine who are sending an entire generation of Ukrainian youth to their graves in enriching themselves fighting the U.S. proxy war against Russia.
Are you ok? They are literally being invaded. That is not called a proxy war by definition. I’m sorry you seem to be caught up in conspiracy theories. I hope your life gets better enough so that you can see the obvious.
Little bit of back-story for you, David:
The Special Military Operation, taking place IN REGIONS THAT VOTED TO REJOIN RUSSIA, following years of repression on the Russian Speaking Ukrainians of the East, came about after more than EIGHT YEARS of attempts to avoid intervention.
Some things you may care to investigate, when you find time to educate yourself.
Minsk agreements,
Colour revolutions,
Stepan Bandera,
Azov Regiment
Banning of Russian language & religion…
Regions that voted to rejoin Russia bombed & the population decimated by state-sponsored, ultra nationalist militia who idolize Naz! collaborators from WW2
Go do your homework… and no – you won’t find it in the Daily Mail, the Washington Post or the BBC.
An important part of homework is trying to understand that Ukraine was accepted by agreement by Russia to be an independent country. Also, after Russia conquered parts of East – Ukraine, and the population saw what their dear neighbours did to themselves, they changed their mind. Russia did not ‘liberate’ the eastern regions but destroyed them, intentionally killing civilians wherever they could.
I’m not quite as sanguine about the virtues of Ukraine as many others, and I do acknowledge that now that there is a war the US is involved in ways that serve its own interests. (It was ever this: watch the new series Corridors of Power, where many US foreign affairs officials comment on the US role, or lack of it, in several theatres).
But the US would not have started this war. Putin and his merry men invaded Ukraine.
It were the Ukrainians who wanted to be part of the Western world and invited the Americans whenever they could. Americans never invaded Ukraine, they were asked to create trade agreements etc. The interest by Ukrainians for the US is comparable with that of the Polish.
For those not present at the recital, it is impossible to understand from the published, cryptic email what has taken place to provoke such an extreme sanction. Hopefully Mr Gillham will enlighten us in due course via ‘Slipped Disc’. Meanwhile, we can only hope for a speedy, mature & compassionate resolution of this distressing incident – A performing artist of Mr Gillham’s relative youth, calibre & reputation is a rare & precious commodity: one to be treasured over time by the artistic community as a whole.
I was at the recital. He made remarks critical of the state of Israel’s actions (particularly killing journalists) but there was nothing I would construe as either anti-semitic or pro-Hamas. Nor for that matter would I have called it a rant. And, as another commenter says, none of that could be drawn from the MSO’s email.
Check out his twitter and instagram accounts and you’ll very quickly understand his view.
His views are not remotely radical. Unless you think that believing thousands of innocent civilians do not deserve to die is a radical opinion. But that’s beside the point, anyway. He did not share his views at length on stage; merely introduced the context of a piece of music, as I’m sure many, many musicians have done throughout history.
Thanks for this first hand witness. As someone who has been unjustly accused of posting antisemitic comments (see home page of jameschater.com) I am deeply sceptical of accusations of antisemitism that turn out to be attacks on Israel s murderous acts without a hint of antisemitism of any kind. In Germany now it is virtually forbidden to stick up for Palestine or Gaza, or hold demos supporting them. Western complicity in Israeli crimes is horrendous.
A 37yr old, concert pianist with middling competition success, and a shrinking performance base; should probably not raze his last remaining platforms with provocative/racist rhetoric.
Save it for Islington, not Australia’s largest Jewish community.
… Australia’s largest Jewish community, whose members supply a large percentage of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s audience. Arts organisations in Australia who demonstrate anti-Israeli sentiments generally face grave financial consequences.
It was Melbourne which gave us that klesma classic, “Buy Me a Bistrot, Shane”. Not many people know that …
If you read Jayson’s twitter and instagram accounts you’ll quickly understand his radical views, that even call for the destruction of Israel.
Sorry, can you point to the post that does this? It would be doing us all a huge service if someone — anyone — could actually link to something he actually said that was actually anti-semitic. That’s the whole conversation — the press release doesn’t make that claim, and all we’re getting in the comments is more editorial comment.
Not at all saying that he hasn’t said anything, just that I haven’t been able to find anything online that suggests that to be the case.
They are trying to burry him.
Seen that before…
He’s terribly pedestrian, another former prodigy who never amounted to much.
Why is it an anti-Semitic rant? Presumably Palestinian journalists were killed (with no suggestion that they were part of Hamas)? On a different level I’m not sure making any personal statement from the stage is advisable unless (as I have done) as a tribute to a dear friend/colleague who has died.
Mr Gillham said that he’d like to dedicate the piece to all the Palestinian journalists killed as they have been specifically targeted by the Israeli forces.
What he did that wasn’t ok was to use the platform of Melbourne Symphony to promote his personal political agenda.
He also often spouts false information on his SM demonizing Israeli and Jews and calling for an end to Israel…
What he said was factual. It’s not “political” to be anti war crimes.
One looks in vain for any evidence or description of an “anti-semitic rant.” Or is expressing solidarity with Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza in and of itself “anti-semitic”? If you think so, you don’t understand the term, which would be odd, given your background.
Many of these “journalists” were also members of Hamas. Some of them gleefully accompanied the massacre-pogrom on Oct. 7. These are not idealistic “seekers of the truth for the public good,” any more than a “journalist” for Pravda or Der Stürmer would have been. They are terrorists, and wearing a press pass absolves them of absolutely nothing. If you think otherwise, that would be odd.
Sources for a specific journalist who accompanied the massacre, please? That’s a very troubling accusation and I’d like to read more about the details.
Henry there have been hundreds killed. It is well documented.
If this is true, that makes him naive but not antisemitic.
If you look at Jayson’s twitter and instagram accounts you’ll quickly understand his very radical viewpoint.
Stop pushing this rubbish. Some of us do not waste our time on social media.
Yes, but even if that were true, it would not mean that the remarks that were the subject of *this* post were anti-Semitic.
His militantly anti-israeli stance has always slipped into anti-Semitism, long before Oct 7 – which he has openly applauded.
Glad to see he now faces consequences for his indiscriminate ranting; but no doubt, he will chalk it up to a Zionist conspiracy.
This was not a genuine inoquous jesture. It was not realy made in memory of “journalists”. The subtext is intended to demonize Israel and the Jews. That is why Norman’s description is accurate.
Can I get a source on the subtext, please? Documentation of some kind for the assertion?
Yaron, spell-check mate.
Dr Ran Yaron, ex head of Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) is a man I greatly admire.
Obviously a highly inclusive, diverse, and tolerant crowd making the decisions… Just observe whom you cannot criticize to identify your oppressor….
For better or worse, it is assumed that custom and practice permits a soloist to speak from the stage if he/she wishes, including to the extent of disclosing “personal political views” — the context appears to have been a solo recital promoted by the orchestra, with the “personal political views” aired as a response to the dedication of the composition (which was by a third party). If the orchestra does *not* permit this, then the proscription should be articulated very prominently and clearly to members and guest performers alike, and enforced *consistently* in respect of any “intrusion of personal political views”, irrespective of what the views are.
Good thing they cancelled his other concerts so we have more time to talk about Israel’s latest bombing of a school.
In which 30 “schoolboys” aged 20 – 40 were kiled inside their “scholarly” command post – their own “scholboy” amunition having blown up.
Sorry, you do not realy care about facrs, just headlines. So if it is labled a school or a hospital, it surely has nothing to do with Hamas.
Yeah, it feels a bit like a Streisanding here — I hardly thought of him at all until reading this story, and now here I am researching him to find out what he actually said.
It’s 2024, and people really still don’t understand how the internet works.
You mean the one that targeted and killed 38 terrorists? The one used by Ham-ass as a military base? Yeah. Ok.
His playing captivating, a wonderful 5* review from Al-Jazeera.
Bravo to the MSO for a quick and correct response.
Many journalists have been killed wilfully including children, toddlers, pregnant women, and the elderly including men all of whom were innocent and the only crime was being born Indigenous in their own land (Palestine). Israel had shown its true ugly face to the rest of the world and their barbaric viciousness that would make the likes of nazi proud. How crazy is it that in a free world, we aren’t able to criticise a rogue regime committing genocide? Barbaric to the core I must say.
As one that most of his family has been murdered by Nazis , I always wondered when I met non Jews , How would they have acted between 1939 -1945. Would the stand aside when Jews were murdered ?
I got my answer at the 7/10 when the Nazis attacked again : most of the liberal Elites like Peter Jan , didn’t stand aside . This time they supported the Nazis ! We will never forget and never forgive .
I don’t know who Peter Jan is, aside from a poster here, nor whether he is part of a “Liberal elite.” Nor have I heard anyone who might reasonably be considered to be part of such an elite, if indeed such exists, “support the Nazis,” or otherwise do anything other than condemn the attack of October 7.
What a lot of thoughtful people have done is question the nature of Israel’s response. They have drawn the interest of a lot of decidedly illiberal people, and that in turn has brought out an alarming streak of what has indeed turned into active anti-Semitism from a lot of very ignorant but very vocal people.
None of this is reflected in the now-published remarks of Mr,. Gillham, whose stage statement one may or may not support but which by no definition of the term constitutes a rant.
Those paying his wages didn’t like the service he provided and stopped paying for more. Sounds entirely reasonable to me.
Musicians only consider themselves free agents when they haven’t understood where their fees are coming from.
He can now prepare for his true avocation as a journalist for Hamas.
“…associated with multiple online propagandists on the pro-Hamas side of the conflict.”
All of a sudden “pro-Palestinian” became “pro-Hamas”? And who is online propagandist here?
Why can’t everyone just shut the fuck up and play? We come to hear music. We study to perform music. That’s it. It’s the height of arrogance and the transcendence of one’s ego to bring that to the stage. How dare he disrespect his audience. No more of this crap. They were right to can him. Let this be a lesson.
Just the music please. Keep all the socio-political opinions and biases out and far away from the concert environment.
Definitely to wrong place and time…regardless of the truth…
To be Pro Palestinian is not to be Anti Israeli or Pro Hamas. In the same way that Israelis deserve respect, so too do Palestinians. It was a piece of music for peace. If anyone finds that offensive, they need to look deeply into their own heart and morals. If a musician did this in 1940 for slain Jewish journalists, we would see that as bravery. Time will show the truth. Be high value and compassionate for all. Artists hold mirrors up to society. They always have.
How is what he said remotely antisemitic let alone a rant? The IDF has killed more journalists than any war in the last 100 years combined.
This invasion of classical music with war politics has got to stop. Before you know it, they’ll be playing the Ukrainian national anthem to open concerts in Europe and America.
You would disapprove of the cellist who played in the street in Sarajevo while the city was being attacked? How dare he attempt to use classical music in this way – to cheer the embattled citizenry.
Most Zionists are Protestant.
More power to Jayson. My parents were subscribers over many decades and I know they didn’t do that to hear mediocrity instead of the truth. Nor would they subscribe to an mso which supports the murder of journalists. Sadly I won’t be able to consider subscription ever again unless the mso changes its tune. It’s also abusing its own musicians in cancelling performers on a political basis. Outrageous.
Well done MSO!! Sydney Theatre Company should learn from this! You go to see a performance for the music and atmosphere and not for someone’s personal political opinion.
I have seen a post by someone who was in the audience at this particular recital, and he tells a very different story. Jayson did NOT make an anti-semitic rant. This kind of reporting is inflammatory and misleading. Jayson showed a great deal of compassion by choosing to dedicate a short piece of meditative music to the journalists who have been killed in Gaza over the past 10 months. This censorship and attempt to control freedom of speech, especially in the arts, is unacceptable. I for one will be boycotting the MCO forever more. Shame on the MCO.
From the River to the Bay, MSO will have its way!
A surprisingly and depressingly large number of obvious anti-Semites commenting on this thread
Something that people seem to overlook these days is that if you give unsolicited political opinions to a captive audience, they have every right to tell you to shut up. That’s what’s happened here.
The incredulity shown by commentators here speaks volumes.
Most of this thread has been devoted to a partisan diatribe on the issue of the Gaza war. There are two issues that have been largely (but not entirely) ignored.
First, musicians are there to play music, not to address the audience on subjects of their own choice and especially on political issues. Obviously, introducing an encore, thanking the audience for their appreciation, introducing a piece and suchlike are exceptions.
Another exception is where the concert is explicitly in support of a specific cause, in which case addressing the audience on that cause is obviously in order, be it for the Green Party, Friends of the Earth, the Reform Party, the BNP or Socialist Workers’ Party. If they want Corbyn or Farage to be a guest speaker, then so be it. They are all legal entities and are surely entitled to raise funds. Those who don’t approve have the right not to attend.
Second, if the concert is not for a specific cause, then allowing a performer to address the audience on any unexpected non-musical and divisive issue is at least unwise and may be rightly forbidden by the performers’ contracts. Such interventions antagonise one section of the audience while placating others. That would have happened if all the posters on this thread had been present . From a business angle, allowing these interventions would be ill-advised. It’s exactly what Stenning achieved in Birmingham, with some welcoming her ‘innovations’ but with sponsors and season-ticket holders pulling out.
Music is supposed to be enlightening to the soul. The much-maligned Furtwangler remained behind in Germany to preserve the heritage of German music as an oasis of sanity in dreadful times, despite being hounded by the Gestapo, finally fleeing to Switzerland to avoid almost certain murder by their henchmen. In our times, Barenboim founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, also as an oasis of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Time and again on this forum, when discussing Wagner’s music and his odious personality or Netrebko, for example, there has been a powerful argument to separate politics from music. Antisemitic or not, Gillam crossed this red line and I fully support the Melbourne Symphony’s response. Had his performance been in commemoration of all victims of the conflict, it might have been a little easier to justify. Discussion of the Gaza conflict belongs elsewhere.
Good points but by sacking him the MSO has overreacted and created a Streisand effect.
“Everyone has the right to his own opinion, providing it agrees with mine”.
I was there – this article is factually incorrect there was no antisemitic rant by the musician
Some one who calls out the Government of Israel is not by definition antisemitic. ..
Have both the Goverment of Israel and Hamas committed war crimes – yes… is the bombing of populated cities and the deaths of thousands of civilians reasonable in the name of self-defence … no
If you are going to report on this try to at least state the facts, read the 4th Geneva Convention and be guided by the rulings of the International Court.
“standing for humanity and peace”? By saying it’s not polite to criticise crimes against humanity done at the behest of an openly far right government? How is that standing for peace?
Also, legitimate criticism of Israeli government is not racism. Anti-Semitism is a problem but his comments are not that.
Too harsh…give him a couple of weeks of and some re education…Israel is a albatross around the neck of the thinking world…side note..I am American…Viet Nam veteran…attend the CSO…and Roman Catholic…
The dedication seems to me hardly controversial. Is anyone FOR killing Palestinian journalists? Certainly not. I might add that the IDF does not permit international journalists in Gaza at all.
Breaking inside scoop from the Age! : “Gilham’s performance…did not provoke an angry response from Jewish community groups, members of Jewish families whose financial support is vital to the MSO, or members of the audience.” Norman needs to rewrite his article to fit the new narrative, now that Galaise has been sacked.
If every musician expresses their political position during a performance at his/her recital , the stage becomes a battlefield.