Scotland hires anti-Israel pianist
NewsThe activist Australian pianist Jayson Gillham, who provoked a crisis at the Melbourne Symphony with an anti-Israel diatribe, has been invited to join the staff of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as Lecturer in Keyboard.
‘There is nothing more rewarding and inspiring than working with the next generation of talented young musicians!’ he says.
The college will presumably keep an eye on some of his wilder teachings.
I have no problem with this…
Perhaps you might have a problem with his rape denial, reposting of Hamas twitter accounts and reposting of Russian misinformation sources.
David you’ll find the allegations you make were proven to be false, you should really fact check yourself
The Hamas rape allegations have long been debunked . Israelis rape Palestinian prisoners- it was even discussed in the Israeli Knesset whether or not it was acceptable to sodomise a Palestinian prisoners with a hot metal rod.
Pick your lies. Everyone does.
Beep beep…
Neither do I
Apparently, many artists fancy themselves the moral beacon of the world, the audience in desperate need of a lecture in geopolitics. Look no further, the experts are there…
Those that can’t, inspire tent cities on Renfrew St.
She’s an appropriate choice for Scotland in 2024.
Well, we know how it’s done.
Gannin’ along the Scotswood Rooad,
Tae see the Jayden Races?
Wilder teaching like “genocide is wrong.”
Why say he’s anti-Israel when he’s anti the way a war is being conducted by Israel? It may not have the same ring to it but it’s closer to the truth. It helps us when journalists try to be a bit more diligent about these things.
Tell us more about the struggle for peace, Tadgh… The Irish know too well about resisting occupiers – though they were awfully fond of AH in the 1940s…
The Irish remained neutral as a statement of independence from their coloniser. They at least don’t support the modern day AH.
Genocide is certainly wrong, such as requiring a Judenrein area from the Jordan to the Mediterranean or killing unarmed civilians at music festivals. On the contrary, Mr Netanyahu’s military operations against Hezbollah have been carried out with almost surgical precision against a specific enemy who happen to be Arabs or gay Australian pianists in need of publicity.
Really? Mr Gilham has been on the receiving end of Military operations?
Andrew. Your Israeli “surgical precision” kills at least 10 collateral bystanders for every Hamas or Hezbulah target.
The Israelis have been kidnapping innocent ( uncharged un tried) Gazans and Palestinians continuously for very many years.
Israeli “surgical precision” has turned 42,000 Gazans mostly women and children since Oct 7.
There is so much more!
For you it seems Israel has a right to “self defence” but the Palestinians haven’t since 1948.
They just have to sit back and allow mostly European colonists of a particular cultural heritage co opt their lands, homes and property without reacting!
Jews are not ‘European.’ They share more ancestry with Palestinians than Europe. Like Palestinians, Jews are indigenous to the Levant. Multiple studies show this. By all means criticise this absolute outrage committed against the citizens of Gaza, but don’t spread mistruths.
“..kidnapping Gazans and Palestinians for many years…..” Wherever did you get that from?
“Palestinians forced to sit back since 1948….”etc! Sitting back might have been why they lost all the wars they started since 1948 (plus the terrorist activities)! Ye gods, you really kno no history. I do kno some Polish, Russian, Bugarian…etc jews in Israel but also many Moroccan, Ethiopian, Iraqi, Iranian, Libyan, Tunisian….. etc, all good “European colonists” of course.
You seem to kno nothing, read some history, not just Al-Jayzoneera!
Not so much. Perhaps you might have a problem with his rape denial, reposting of Hamas twitter accounts and reposting of Russian misinformation sources like Caitlin Johnstone (Russia Today). Just look at his social media accounts, it’s a litany of extremism.
Beep beep…
Was more the reposting of hamas propaganda. We’re posting Twitter accounts that linked with Russian propaganda, also denying that Israeli women were raped. That could possibly be it. No no no no. It’s because he tried to teach about genocide in your opinion. Ur silly.
There is no problem with him joining the faculty in Scotland. He might wish to know his employment opportunities are fewer in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and elsewhere in that region, except Israel.
If he stops a student mid-phrase, raises his arms and begins mourning Nasrallah—it seems probable—the students should be forewarned. Hopefully he will not mix politics with curriculum.
While I have already forgotten his name (Jayzen?), he has found a way to cut through the noise of the performing arts world and plant his feet into a pile of tabloid standard relevance.
Bravo! All publicity is good publicity
No ‘bravo’, the guy is an uninformed FOOL.
Anti-Israel diatribe? I think his comments were on Netanyahu”s war-like actions.
No, he just hates Jews.
… which are a defensive war against terrorist clubs fed by the insane regime in Iran who are fighting an aggressive war.
Some reading makes such things very clear.
Not so much. Most of us can get on board with hating Bibi. Perhaps you might have a problem with his rape denial, reposting of Hamas twitter accounts and reposting of Russian misinformation sources like Caitlin Johnstone (Russia Today). Just look at his social media accounts, it’s a litany of extremism.
To be honest, if even Slipped Disc describes his expressed opinions as political rather than racist (anti-Israel rather than antisemitic) then he is doing something right.
Anti israel, given whats happened of late, is fine. Rape denial and reposting Hamas: not so much. His social media tells a far broader story.
What’s he going to teach them? He’s crap, that’s why he doesn’t perform anywhere; not even MSO.
If only his playing were as passionate as his love of antisemitism.
He’s not anti-Israel, he’s antisemitic. And so apparently are the Scots. This cheap trick of saying “criticism of Israel isn’t antisemitism” doesn’t work snymore, evrn when srlf-hating Jews use it. October 7 showed everyone that antisemitism is alive and well, and has been growing particularly on the political left. On october 7 millions of antisemites all over the world were celebrating, even before Israel began defending itself. This pathetic excuse of a human being, Gillham, or whatever his name is, has found a good fit in Scotland. A country of about 5.5 million people with close to 120,000 Muslims, and only about 6,000 Jews. I’m sure he’ll find many avid studrnts of classical music smong the former, particularly women wearing niqabs.
Criticism of Israel does NOT equate with anti-Semitism — to believe that is to believe that a government — any government — can do no wrong. This one, run by a man who by rights ought to be in jail for corruption, is less angelic than many, and certainly capable of decisions that are subject to criticism.
Totally agree. However, Gillham’s social media DOES equate to antisemitism.
I do not have social media so am unable to read his. The only published comment of his was the one I saw here about his comment on the death of journalists in Gaza, and I believe he said they were targeted. That is not a unique view.
It depends on what type of criticism of Israel. If your position is that Israel has the right to defend itself as long as they don’t kill anybody, then you are simply spouting veiled antisemitism. Hamas’s goals are well known, the destruction of the state of Israel, which certainly entails the murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews, similar but on lesser scale, than what occurred with the decade before I was born. Hamas’ tactic of embedding itself within the civilian population is a smart calculation from their point of view. Since they can’t possibly defeat Israel militarily, they hope to get advantage with international public opinion. Hamas doesn’t care about the death of noncombatants, they foster it.
“He’s not anti-Israel, he’s antisemitic. And so apparently are the Scots.”
Really? The Scots? All the Scots? Every single one? With the consequence that every single Scot can be held responsible for the anti-Semitism you allege?
Yes, as a Scot I take exception to that sort of comment.
If speaking out against the murder of journalists makes him anti-Israel, so be it. Over a hundred journalists have been killed in Gaza. That is outrageous.
Amongst those “Journalists” were hostage takers, rapists, murderers, terrorists.
Furthermore, Jason Gilhamas systematically calls for the dismantling of Israel, tells Jews to “go back to poland”, equates modern urban warfare to the industrial genocide of 6million+ Jews.
He’s a loon, and a mediocre musician AT BEST.
Indeed, I agree. Reposting Hamas, pro Russia disinfo sources like Caitlyn Johnstone and rape denial – not so much. His social media should be seen in full.
He’s a well-intentioned fool, along with the rest of us. Israel is just a pawn in a much larger game of evil being played out by the USA. They armed Islamist groups to overthrow the sovereign governments of Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Egypt, creating a power vacuum for Hamas and Hezbollah to grow, and now they arm Israel to fight against them. Why did they do all this? Why can’t they just mind their own business?
Just had a thought: What would happen if Scotland underwent the kind of night we had yesterday in Israel?
Well, given the idiotic military adventurism of the West and Scotland being the home of the Trident submarines, that is sadly an ever-growing possibility…
What a shame!
It’s a tricky situation, and I’ll do my best to remain objective. In 2012, Mr. Gillham was a finalist in Leeds and performed Beethoven’s Emperor with Sir Mark Elder. I’ve listened to some of his recordings of Chopin’s Etudes and noticed he also includes Rach 2 and Medtner 1 in his repertoire. This gives us a span of about twelve years for potential growth, development, and creativity.
However, I haven’t perceived much change in his playing. While his performances are well-presented, they tend to lean towards stability, and I hesitate to use the term “unwavering loftiness,” which seems to limit the opportunity for conveying spontaneous nuances. In other words, his playing is well presented, albeit slightly on the slow side, and doesn’t really invite us to discover who Mr. Gillham truly is.
Interestingly, the conservatoire has given him an unusual role as a lecturer, rather than the more traditional position one might expect from a distinguished pianist. This raises an important point: he doesn’t appear to have been invited to teach piano. I’ll leave it at that. It’s definitely a complex situation.
There’s no controversial left-wing academic on the planet who won’t be warmly welcomed in Scotland.
The national religion of Scotland used to be Presbyterianism. Today, its wokeism.
Given the worldwide antipathy to Israel and to Jews in the academic world – they are usually the same – his views probably played a not insignificant part in appointing him.
Another useful idiot who doesn’t understand that the Iranian mullahs want to finish the work of Hitler.
When I read comments like the recent one by SueSonataForm, I wonder if she and others ever ask themselves why the mullahs are in control of Iran and how they got there. They did so largely because the west – the USA and the UK – wanted to keep Iran’s oil revenues from falling into the hands of the Iranians. To do that the CIA forcibly deposed the elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mossadegh, in the early 1950s, and putting the widely disliked Shah back on his throne. They then propped up the Shah as a pawn in the Cold War, turning blind eyes as his hated Savak secret police agency brutally tortured and murdered their path to being virtually all powerful. The Shah’s megalomanic idiocy in holding what he claimed was the 2,500 anniversary party outside Persepolis celebrating the start of the Persian Empire in 1971, monstrously expensive with a huge tent city for heads of state constructed and everything catered by the Ritz in Paris, was just one of many events that turned Iranians against him and his elite.
For decades he had been propped up by the west. And all the time Iranians were increasingly furious at his rule. When he was finally kicked out, Khomeini was welcomed with open arms. Even during the ensuing 8 year Iran/Iraq war started by Iraq, the US sided with the Iraqis. The US fed Iraq with several billion $$s in cash, chemicals and weaponry.
It’s obvous the mullahs hate the USA and from their history they have at least a degree of reason. With Israel being propped up by the USA, it’s certainly another proxy war. What I do know is that during a two-week tourist visit to Iran in 2018 I found a people who were exceedingly friendly, even towards me who was from a country responsible for major sanctions against their country, who were intelligent, cultured – and to a man in the six cities I visited very much against the rule of the mullahs. The impression I gained is that most Iranians would rejoice if the mullahs and their increasingly corrupt leadership quickly disappeared.
Someone, though, has to figure out how to make that happen. And regularly changing US policies have had little effect.