The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on Thursday sought to defuse the controversy that arose following its earlier decision to cancel future performances by Australian-British classical pianist Jayson Gillham.
DON'T MAKE THIS IDIOTIC STUDIO MISTAKE LIKE I DID!
“The MSO acknowledges that a mistake was made in asking Jayson Gillham to step back from his performance on Thursday 15 August,” the statement said.
This past weekend, the musician performed “Witness,” a short composition written by Connor D’Netto that the composer said was “dedicated to the journalists of Gaza.” Before he began playing, Gillham offered his own explanation, calling the deaths of more than 100 journalists during the Gaza conflict a “war crime.”
On Wednesday, MSO management announced that Gillham, a regular performer with the orchestra, would not be performing at Thursday's concert and removed his name from its website.
