The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) has canceled pianist Jayson Gillham's scheduled performance.
This action was taken in response to Gillham expressing his "personal views" following the premiere of a music piece dedicated to journalists who lost their lives in Gaza.
The 37-year-old pianist had been set to perform Mozart and Brahms pieces alongside the MSO at the Melbourne Town Hall this Thursday. However, Gillham's name was removed from the event's website on Tuesday.
A statement from the MSO announced a change in the upcoming performances, citing that Gillham's participation would be discontinued due to comments, notably a series of remarks he made at a previous concert.
During his recent performance at the Iwaki Auditorium in Southbank, Gillham performed several pieces, including the world premiere of "Witness," composed by Connor D'Netto.
The five-minute composition was specially created for Gillham by D'Netto, according to the composer's website, in honor of the journalists in Gaza.
In the statement sent out to attendees, MSO informed individuals that "Witness" had been presented at the request of Gillham as a brief meditative composition. However, they noted that Gillham included personal comments without obtaining approval or endorsement from the MSO.
According to the website Slippedisc, the the MSO's communication stated, "Witness was accepted for performance at the request of Mr Gillham on the basis that it was a short meditative piece."
The MSO described these comments as "an intrusion of personal political views" in what they intended to be a performance focused on solo piano works.
"The MSO's values are Respectful, Collaborative, Innovative, and Diverse, and they are at the heart of what we do and how we act," the statement continued.
"These values guided why we accepted the work to be performed and why we've acted as a result of the unauthorized statements."
The statement added: "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."
In response to Gillham's remarks, MSO issued an apology for any "offense and distress" that may have been caused.
