The Cat Empire to reschedule MSO performances after abandoning boycott

Australian funk band The Cat Empire will work towards new dates to perform with the MSO, after it postponed shows over the orchestra’s cancellation of Jayson Gillham’s performance.

The Cat Empire says it will ‘work towards new dates’ to perform with the MSO.

One of Australia’s most popular bands has abandoned its boycott of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and now wants to “stand proudly” on stage with musicians who passed a vote of no confidence in their board for cancelling a pro-Palestine pianist.

Australian funk band The Cat Empire announced it would “work towards new dates” to perform with the MSO, just days after it postponed its shows following the MSO’s cancellation of pianist Jayson Gillham’s performance over his comments about the killing of journalists in Gaza.

It comes after the MSO board said it would undertake an independent external review following its musicians’ vote of no confidence in senior management regarding the cancellation, a decision the MSO subsequently labelled an “error”.

“As a result of the announcement of a vote of no confidence by the orchestra and an external review by the MSO, we’re working towards new dates for ticketholders for our Hamer Hall shows where we can stand proudly alongside the MSO musicians and give the performance we want to give,” The Cat Empire wrote on Facebook on Monday.

The band had announced it would postpone the shows on Friday, when it stated: “We value the principles of freedom of speech, artistic expression, and inclusivity. Therefore, in good conscience, we’ve made the decision to postpone next week’s shows at Hamer Hall”.

“We have been assured that the MSO organisation is working to resolve the situation, and hope that we can reach a resolution,” it wrote.

“When these changes align with our beliefs as a band, we strongly hope these shows can go ahead, and we can get back to celebrating music in a free, inclusive and genuinely expressive way.”

On Friday, MSO musicians notified the board of their “overwhelming majority vote” of no confidence in managing director Sophie Galaise and chief executive Guy Ross and called for “a full and impartial investigation into both the events of the cancellation of Jayson Gillham this week, and further into the general standards of leadership that have led to the ongoing issues with communication, morale, and psychosocial hazards affecting our workforce”.

“Whilst this motion has been directly related to the events surrounding the cancellation this week, we see it as the culmination of years of unresolved concerns, ongoing mismanagement, and a consistent decline in workplace culture that has undermined the wellbeing of employees and the long-term success of the company,” the musicians’ letter to the board read.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, the board noted the letter and confirmed it would “conduct an independent external review into our policies, procedures and processes”.

It said the review would “canvas the events leading up to the decision to cancel the concert scheduled for 15 August 2024”.

“The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is determined to ensure we have the protocols in place that are fit for purpose for our organisation and the role we play within the community.”