MSO cuts phone line, hides board members as pro-Palestine pianist saga deepens

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has quietly removed their phone line from their website, as well as the details of their board members, as the fallout from cancelling a pro-Palestine pianist continues.

Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham was axed from the MSO after suggesting journalists in Gaza were suffering. Picture: Supplied

The names of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra managers and directors have been pulled from its website and its call centre closed, amid the orchestra’s controversial cancellation of a pianist who said journalists in Gaza were suffering.

It comes as the MSO musicians on Friday sensationally passed a vote of no confidence in senior management after the axing of acclaimed pianist Jayson Gillham.

Members of the board include David Li, Mary Waldron, Margaret Jackson, Martin Foley, Farrel Meltzer and Edgar Myer, as well as managing director Sophie Galaise and chief operating officer Guy Ross.

Mr Gillham spoke briefly before performing a solo last Sunday, then had his upcoming Thursday concert cancelled. Picture: Supplied

When the MSO announced their temporary phone line closure on Facebook, several expressed their understanding and said it was “unfortunate” that box office staff might be experiencing hate rather than the board members themselves.

“The box office, the staff, the musicians should not pay the consequences of their incompetent and tone deaf management,” one man wrote.

“Sophie Galaise, Guy Ross and those involved in this scandal should suffer the consequences of their despicable actions, not innocent employees or members.”

Another woman echoed the sentiment.

“Well ... I wonder why that may be?” she wrote.

“Very sad that employees may be receiving some of the angst from the community as a result of management’s extremely poor decision making, but really, what did you expect to happen!?”

The MSO box office phone line has been temporarily removed from its website, as well as details of the company’s managing directors and board members.

In a letter to the board, the MSO musicians said the orchestra’s reputation had been “called into disrepute”, and the removal of Mr Gillham highlighted “years of unresolved concerns” within the company.

They said the MSO work environment was “characterised by poor communication, a lack of accountability and continuing declining morale”.

“The gravity of the current situation faced by the organisation this week concerning the cancellation of Jayson Gillham as soloist has only served to highlight these issues, and demonstrate this continued pattern of behaviour,” they said.

“We no longer have faith in the abilities of our senior management to make decisions that are in the best interests of the company at large.

“The members of the orchestra in no way take this decision lightly, but believe that this decision is vital for the ongoing viability of the company given the degree to which the MSO’s reputation has been called into disrepute.”

At a concert last Sunday, Jayson Gillham dedicated a solo to journalists under threat and killed in Gaza. His next concert, scheduled for Thursday, was then cancelled.

In a short speech before his piano solo, Mr Gillham spoke about Gaza and said the role of a journalist was to “document” and “witness”.

“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 MEAA hopes the vote of no confidence may have happened clandestinely. Picture: Supplied

Paul Davies, campaign manager for the musicians’ union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), told the Herald Sun on Friday the vote was “pretty much unanimous”.

But he said the musicians were shattered their letter had been leaked and was now in the public domain because they were confident the situation could be resolved.

He said the primary concern of the musicians was not to cause damage to the MSO, or its reputation.

“The intention of the musicians, through their union, was to send the letter to the board so that it could take it into consideration and take any necessary action without any further public scrutiny or pressure.”

The MSO has been contacted for comment.