Latest news with #JaysonGillham
AU Financial Review
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- AU Financial Review
Cancelled pianist's case against MSO set for trial
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has failed to strike out a discrimination case brought against it by a guest pianist. Jayson Gillham sued the MSO last year after its management cancelled a performance he was due to give, following an August 11 recital where from the stage he accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes.
Perth Now
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
No early curtain on axed pianist's feud with symphony
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has hit a false note in its bid to bring down the curtain on legal action from an acclaimed pianist. Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham is suing the orchestra after his contract was allegedly terminated following a performance at an MSO event on August 11. Before the recital, Gillham performed a solo piece called Witness dedicated to journalists killed in Gaza. "The killing of journalists is a war crime in international law, and it is done in an effort to prevent the documentation and broadcasting of war crimes to the world," he said. "In addition to the role of journalists who bear witness, the word Witness in Arabic is Shaheed, which also means Martyr." The orchestra allegedly agreed to allow him to perform the solo but objected to the introductory remarks and terminated his contract before another scheduled performance on August 15, sparking backlash from its musicians. It later cancelled the entire event over safety concerns, conceded pulling Gillham was an error and ordered a review into its governance. The acclaimed pianist launched legal action, accusing the orchestra of violating the Fair Work Act and workplace discrimination under the Equal Opportunity Act. Mediation was ordered in November but the orchestra and chief operating officer Guy Ross pushed for summary dismissal, arguing the case had no reasonable prospects of success. Chief Justice Debra Mortimer shot down their bid on Thursday, ordering the matter continue towards trial. "The court will not permit this proceeding to turn into any interlocutory war of attrition," she said. "From this point onwards the proceeding will be closely and actively case managed by the court." Intergenerational conflicts in the Middle East region involving Palestinians and Israelis escalated on October 7, 2023. Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the Australian government, launched an assault that killed 1200 people with more than 200 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Israel responded with a bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to unconfirmed data from the United Nations provided by the local ministry of health. The independent Committee to Protect Journalists estimates at least 176 journalists and media workers are among the dead.
West Australian
08-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
No early curtain on axed pianist's feud with symphony
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has hit a false note in its bid to bring down the curtain on legal action from an acclaimed pianist. Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham is suing the orchestra after his contract was allegedly terminated following a performance at an MSO event on August 11. Before the recital, Gillham performed a solo piece called Witness dedicated to journalists killed in Gaza. "The killing of journalists is a war crime in international law, and it is done in an effort to prevent the documentation and broadcasting of war crimes to the world," he said. "In addition to the role of journalists who bear witness, the word Witness in Arabic is Shaheed, which also means Martyr." The orchestra allegedly agreed to allow him to perform the solo but objected to the introductory remarks and terminated his contract before another scheduled performance on August 15, sparking backlash from its musicians. It later cancelled the entire event over safety concerns, conceded pulling Gillham was an error and ordered a review into its governance. The acclaimed pianist launched legal action, accusing the orchestra of violating the Fair Work Act and workplace discrimination under the Equal Opportunity Act. Mediation was ordered in November but the orchestra and chief operating officer Guy Ross pushed for summary dismissal, arguing the case had no reasonable prospects of success. Chief Justice Debra Mortimer shot down their bid on Thursday, ordering the matter continue towards trial. "The court will not permit this proceeding to turn into any interlocutory war of attrition," she said. "From this point onwards the proceeding will be closely and actively case managed by the court." Intergenerational conflicts in the Middle East region involving Palestinians and Israelis escalated on October 7, 2023. Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the Australian government, launched an assault that killed 1200 people with more than 200 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Israel responded with a bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to unconfirmed data from the United Nations provided by the local ministry of health. The independent Committee to Protect Journalists estimates at least 176 journalists and media workers are among the dead.
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Court greenlights trial of pianist's discrimination claim after Melbourne orchestra cancelled concert
The federal court has given the green light for concert pianist Jayson Gillham to sue the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, with chief justice Debra Mortimer ordering the case to proceed to trial. In March, the MSO sought to have Gillham's case thrown out, arguing that the pianist was not an employee but a freelance contractor, so neither the Fair Work Act, or Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act, applied. The pianist's legal team, led by senior counsel Sheryn Omeri, argued that the MSO's alleged discrimination on the grounds of political belief or activity was unlawful under Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email On Thursday, the federal court ruled against the MSO and ordered the trial to proceed. Mortimer said she was 'not persuaded the applicant's case is without any reasonable prospects of success' and agreed that the relationship between the pianist and the orchestra was protected by workplace laws. Gillham is suing the MSO over a cancelled Melbourne concert he was contracted to perform at on 15 August, a cancellation which he claims was an attempt to silence him over his stance on the conflict in Gaza. At a performance four days earlier in Southbank's Iwaki Auditorium, Gillham had played a short piece called Witness, composed by Australian multimedia artist Connor D'Netto, which was dedicated to journalists who had lost their lives in the Gaza conflict. Introducing the work, the pianist addressed the audience, stating more than 100 Palestinian journalists had been killed, and that the targeting of journalists in a conflict was a war crime under international law. Announcing the decision to cancel the 15 August concert, an MSO email sent to patrons alleged Gillham had made personal remarks 'without seeking the MSO's approval or sanction'. 'The MSO does not condone the use of our stage as a platform for expressing personal views', the email said, adding that Gillham's remarks had caused 'distress'. The MSO subsequently issued a statement denying Gillham had been discriminated against because of his political views, saying the action management took in response to the artist's on-stage comments was 'not and never has been about free speech'. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion In an October statement Gillham released after announcing his decision to sue, the pianist said the MSO's actions were part of 'a disturbing trend of silencing voices that speak to uncomfortable truths'. 'This situation goes beyond just artistic freedom; it strikes at the heart of our right to free speech and the role of art in addressing important social issues,' he said in the statement. Less than two weeks after the controversy erupted, MSO musicians reportedly passed a vote of no confidence in the organisation's managing director, Sophie Galaise, who resigned in late August. Galaise ceased to be a respondent in the legal action taken against the MSO in March, with Gillham reaching a confidential settlement with the former MSO boss days before the organisation sought to have the lawsuit quashed in the federal court.
The Guardian
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Music industry figures rally behind Queensland music award winner after pro-Palestine controversy
More than 2,000 people in the music industry have signed a petition supporting a jazz musician and composer whose winning entry River to Sea in the 2025 Queensland Music Awards prompted Brisbane city council to revoke its funding of the annual event. Australian pianist Jayson Gillham, who is locked in a legal battle with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, also issued a statement on Monday, condemning Kellee Green's case as yet another troubling example of the suppression of political expression by Australian artists. Green attracted criticism after her political stance on the conflict in Gaza was called into question after her win at the state music awards last Tuesday for her instrumental composition. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The Brisbane-based artist, who is also a teacher at the private Catholic girls' school Brigidine College in Indooroopilly, delivered an acceptance speech at the awards, during which she accused the Australian government of being complicit in war crimes 'by allowing the export of weapons and weapon parts to Israel to directly kill innocent Palestinian men, women, and children'. She ended the speech with the phrase 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'. Both the Queensland branch of the Independent Education Union and the school declined to comment on Monday. The school's principal, Brendan Cahill, issued a statement to students' parents last week saying Green had agreed to take leave from the school and had given him assurances she had not made any political statements to students. The school had also reached out to the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, Cahill said in the letter, and was further investigating Green's 'personal musical recordings'. Green has not commented publicly on her awards speech or her departure from the school. Last week, the lord mayor of Brisbane, Adrian Schrinner, pulled the council's $25,000 funding for the awards. 'Music should be a positive force that brings people together, not tear them apart,' the Lord Mayor's statement said. A further $450,000 in annual funding to the awards' organiser, QMusic, is now under review, with the state government's arts minister, John-Paul Langbroek, demanding an explanation from the organisation why the awards were allowed to become a platform for 'divisive commentary'. 'I will be questioning the awards process, current eligibility criteria, and comments made at the awards ceremony,' Langbroek said in a statement. QMusic's chief executive, Kris Stewart, did not respond to the Guardian's queries on Monday. The petition, launched by Taiwanese-Australian composer musician Matt Hsu, the founder of Brisbane's Obscure Orchestra, criticises both the 'inflammatory' and 'unfounded' claims by Schrinner, and a subsequent statement from Stewart, who said music awards should not be a 'platform for political debate'. Hsu told Guardian Australia on Monday QMusic was using the guise of neutrality to curb artists' freedom of expression. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'QMusic should be taking a more powerful stance in support of musicians,' he said. Stewart responded to Hsu's criticisms directly, saying in an email to him on Monday he was meeting with QMusic's board to discuss the issue. 'I've wrestled a lot with this over the last few days – actually, that's probably an understatement,' Stewart said in the email. 'I need to acknowledge that I probably have some gaps in my own cultural understanding around both sides of this debate. I'm heartbroken that we can't quite seem to find respectful ways to have a conversation on this, one in which artists should be centred, and that it seems to have become so politically divisive in our country, a place for freedom of expression and thought has always been central to our national character.' Gillham, who is suing the MSO after it cancelled a performance after his onstage support for the people of Palestine last August, said on Monday he was deeply alarmed and concerned about the increasing pressure being applied to cultural organisations to silence and deplatform artists who make public statements in support of Palestine. 'The recent decision by Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner to withdraw Brisbane city council funding from the Queensland Music Awards following pianist Kellee Green's acceptance speech – in which she spoke about the suffering of Palestinian civilians and urged peaceful protest and action – is yet another example of this troubling trend,' he said. 'Attempts to label such speech as 'hate' in order to suppress political expression are not only damaging to individual artists, but also to the health and integrity of our cultural institutions and public discourse. 'Now, more than ever, we must uphold the principles of artistic freedom, open dialogue, and the right to speak out against injustice – especially within the arts.'
