Melbourne Symphony Orchestra doubles down on British-Australian pianist Jayson Gillham

Negotiations between Jayson Gillham and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) collapsed last week after his lawyers issued an “open letter” rejecting the internationally renowned pianist’s compensation claims. The letter was signed by Leon Zwier, a partner at pro-Zionist law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL).

Jayson Gillham (Photo: jaysongillham.com)

Gillham is the victim of the MSO’s cancellation of a concert scheduled for August 15. He was targeted because he dared to verbally present Witnessa short piano work he performed at his August 11 recital. Composed by Connor D’Netto, the five-minute piece was dedicated to the more than 100 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since the start of the genocide.

Gillham, who has consistently opposed the Gaza genocide, told his audience that Israel’s killing of journalists was illegal and carried out “to prevent the documentation and dissemination of war crimes around the world.”

The MSO claimed that these comments constituted “an intrusion of personal political opinions” made “without authorization” and canceled the next recital. Gillham’s comments are of course not “personal political opinions”, but a statement of facts verified by journalists and numerous human rights organizations, officially documented as war crimes.

Widespread denunciations on social media of the MSO’s blatant censorship first forced the orchestra’s management to apologize for canceling the recital and then to “reinvite” Gillham to perform on August 15.

The MSO’s offer, however, contained unacceptable new provisions that were not included in the original contract for the recital. The MSO also issued a statement on its website misrepresenting Gillham’s views and suggesting that he would have raised security concerns – due to potential protests by pro-Palestinian activists – if the concert went ahead.

In response to these blatant attacks on freedom of expression, the orchestra’s musicians voted on 15 August to vote no confidence in the orchestra’s leadership. The motion called for the resignation of CEO Sophie Galaise and the orchestra’s chief operating officer Guy Ross, and for an independent inquiry into their actions. Peter Garrett, lead singer of Midnight Oil and a former cabinet minister in the Rudd-Gillard Labor governments, was appointed to head the inquiry.

Galaise, who had cancelled Gillham’s recital without informing her board, was forced to resign on Monday, but the MSO leadership has stepped up its action against the pianist, denouncing him in her open letter and rejecting all of her claims for compensation.

In previous discussions with the OSM, Gillham had demanded a public apology, compensation for the singer’s reputation for the canceled recital, opportunities for future performances and other demands, including confirmation of the right of artists to express themselves freely. He had also requested the commissioning of a piano concerto by a Palestinian composer and a donation to the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine.

Gillham’s demands were “outrageous” and “will never be met,” the open letter said, because he had “abused his position by using an MSO concert to express his political views… (and) did so inappropriately.”

The letter then ridiculously insisted that Gillham’s censorship “is not and never has been about free speech” – a claim refuted by the relentless efforts of Zionists and their political allies around the world to silence actors, artists, musicians, journalists or others who oppose Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The MSO letter comes as no surprise. ABL and other pro-Zionist organizations, such as Lawyers for Israel, have played a significant role in intimidation campaigns against key public figures who denounce Israel’s murderous ethnic cleansing operations against Palestinians.

Among those targeted since last November are three actors from the Sydney Theatre Company who were hysterically denounced for wearing keffiyehs during an encore; Mike Parr, whose long-term contract with the Anna Schwartz Gallery was cancelled in December after he painted the words “Palestine,” “Israel” and “apartheid” during one of his painting performances; and journalist Antoinette Latouf, who was fired from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation after sharing a Human Rights Watch article on social media.

Leon Zwier, who wrote the MSO open letter, is currently one of two ABL lawyers representing a complaint filed by the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) with the Human Rights Commission against Mary Kostakidis, a former SBS journalist and pro-Palestinian activist. If convicted, she could face significant fines and reputational damage.

The ZFA accused Kostakidis of violating Australia’s racial discrimination law by sharing on social media a comment by Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, “from the river to the sea.” The veteran journalist pointed out that the same slogan appears in the charter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Gillham responded to the MSO’s open letter with a three-page media statement setting out the timeline of events and explaining their legal implications.

“The actions taken by the MSO,” he said, “constitute direct discrimination on the grounds of political belief or activity, which are protected by the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (of Victoria) and breach the protections provided by the Fair Work Act 2009. These actions infringe my right to freedom of expression and my rights at work.”

Gillham also pointed out that the MSO refused to allow him to contribute to the so-called independent review.

“I stand firmly behind my actions and words. As an artist, I believe it is not only my right, but my responsibility to use my platform to shine a light on important issues,” Gillham said.

“The facts I have stated about the plight of Palestinian journalists are corroborated by reliable sources and consistent with international law. The idea that my actions may have caused security problems is unfounded and deeply troubling. It appears to be an attempt to distract from the real problems and stigmatize legitimate political expression…

“This situation raises important questions about artistic freedom, the role of cultural institutions in public discourse, and the right of artists to express their views on issues of public interest.”

Although Gillham is supported by musicians, students, artists and other creative workers across Australia and overseas, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the union that covers the sector, has made a perfunctory statement about the MSO’s victimisation of this courageous young pianist.

Published on August 14, it stated bluntly: “Creative workers should not feel the need to restrict the expression of their views for fear of harming their careers. MEAA takes allegations of censorship and harassment very seriously and will support its members in pursuing their professional and personal safety and their freedom to express their political views.”

Four weeks later, the MEAA has not called for any action or mobilised any of its members to defend Gillham.

* * *
Last week, Jayson Gillham and Connor D’Netto announced the release of a recording of Witness piano piece by Room40, with all proceeds going to the charity Palestine Australia Relief and Action. The track is available to stream and purchase here.

Gillham will also perform the short, meditative piece in his recital this Sunday afternoon at the Goulburn Performing Arts Centre and Riverlinks Eastbank in Shepparton on October 3. He will also perform with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra on September 18 and 19.