Musician and former Arts Minister Peter Garrett has been appointed to conduct a review of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra following internal controversies, writes Rosemary Sorensen.
THE DECISION BY the Board of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) to appoint musician and former Federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett to lead an independent external review into the company’s freedom of artistic expression protocols coincides with the departure of managing director Sophie Galaise.
In an effort to control the fallout from what the MSO itself called an “error” when it cancelled a performance by high-profile pianist Jayson Gillham, the MSO has not yet explained who is responsible and why the cancellation came so abruptly. Or whether the Board – led by musician businessman David Li and including former Victorian Arts Minister Martin Foley – knew or was involved.
The review is unlikely to clarify that, but the announcement both acknowledges the damage caused and broadens the focus away from blaming the management error — although the departure of Galaise can only be seen as a direct consequence.
The original decision was to remove Gillham but continue with the orchestra’s performance by slightly altering the program. Unlike what happened at the State Library Victoria – where the writers involved were strongly supported by the local writing community but their sacking from a workshop program had little impact beyond – Gillham’s reputation in the UK ensured widespread support for his right to speak on stage about Palestine.
When the musicians in the Orchestra themselves came out in revolt against his cancellation, the MSO had to hastily cancel the entire performance.
At that stage, still, neither the managing director nor the board chair were named, as the MSO’s public pronouncements sought to manage the damage. No one, not even the passionate but controlled Gillham, has broken ranks to let on how and why an experienced management group responded so inappropriately and with such tremendous consequence.
All the latest media release says is that ‘the past few weeks has been a difficult experience for many of our people’ and that ‘Galaise has left the organisation’.
Peter Garrett famously used the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics to highlight internationally the then-Coalition Government’s refusal to say “Sorry” to Indigenous Stolen Generations.
Garrett explained to the ABC for Australian Story earlier this year that when he was a Labor Minister, he had to be a “team player”:
“If I did disagree or have reservations about something, I could express it, I just wasn’t going to do it in the public arena. Of course, because people didn’t see you piping up, they assumed you’d stopped caring.”
Arts organisations are not political parties and you’d expect Garrett to be very aware that the current Labor Party under PM Anthony Albanese has not done well in addressing what freedoms must be allowed to protect the rights of artists in particular.
In Victoria, the State Library’s efforts to bring contracted writers within the employment terms of the public service are clumsy, and so far, backed by the Office of Premier Jacinta Allen, they have failed to acknowledge even that the writers were cancelled because of pro-Palestinian views.
Consequently, in that case and again, in the case of Gillham’s cancellation at the MSO (which they couldn’t deny was a direct consequence of his criticism of Israel), the obvious question to ask is: did Zionist interference trigger the cancellation? The more management protects board members from responsibility for decisions that punish pro-Palestine supporters, the more focus (and suspicion) must fall on those board members and the wider patronage network upon which a heritage arts organisation such as an orchestra is built.
As clever and as politically passionate and socially responsible as Peter Garrett may be, he is being asked to ‘evaluate MSO’s policies, procedures and processes and cover protocols around freedom of speech and artistic expression on stage’. That’s a lot of ‘P’ words — but the one that’s missing is ‘Palestine’.
By putting some space between the error and the outcome with a review that will take some time, MSO has sensibly taken the heat out of the dilemma, for now. There’s a scapegoat, by default, in the departure of the managing director. And the surprise choice of Garrett (‘a respected musician’ in the wording attributed to the MSO Board) overshadows the concurrent announcement that Richard Wigley steps in to a new role as ‘strategic advisor to lead the management team with immediate effect’.
Previously chief executive with the Ulster Orchestra, Wigley makes it clear in his carefully-worded statement that he’s experienced in sorting through the difficulties that beset orchestras — although this one is possibly unprecedented. His statement on the appointment mentions being involved in ‘rebuilding orchestras after precarious phases in their histories’, which hints at just how deep the damage to the MSO goes.
Wigley promises:
“A period of careful listening, considered discussion, sound judgement and implementation of appropriate changes is what comes next. I am confident that from difficult times comes fresh creative energies an d sustained resilience.”
As for Garrett, he too focuses on the bigger picture, about how to allow freedom of expression in a “highly charged environment”.
Garrett states:
“If we get this right, the review may also serve a broader purpose for others who will inevitably face similar challenges.”
Rosemary Sorensen is an IA columnist, journalist and founder of the Bendigo Writers Festival. You can follow Rosemary on Twitter/X @sorensen_rose.
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