Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Sunday event was uneventful, but pianist Jason Gillum’s sacking sparked outrage

“Art forms are tied to politics, they are tied to the dynamics of today’s social environment, and that’s not always pleasant. I don’t think it’s appropriate to silence creative people – artists, musicians, pianists, visual artists, whatever,” she said.

“If the thrust of the article is to dedicate an article to the journalists who have been killed in Gaza, whether they are Palestinians or Jews, and regardless of their ethnicity, I don’t think there is anything overly inflammatory about dedicating an article to the victims.”

But Agoston Cleary said it does “get complicated” when you have a vehicle like the MSO.

“I think it has to do with the issue of sponsorship, where the money comes from, and money is always going to be about politics… However, an organisation does need to maintain a level of support and autonomy so that its creatives can express their views.”

Agoston Cleary, MSO chief conductor Jaime Martin It was done very well. “He talked a lot about the elements of music and how it evokes emotions and expresses various things and how he responds to it. It’s an important part of the art form,” she said.

“You go to an art gallery and you see an artist’s statement or a curator’s statement, and they serve a similar purpose: They help you understand or contextualize the work. They make the work come alive.”

Another attendee, Colin McKellar, said the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s response to Gillum’s comments was “terrible”. But he said the orchestra was state-funded. “It’s not an independent arts organisation,” he said.

“It’s part of their politics. Their politics are not something I agree with, but it’s the politics of the state government, so it’s immutable. They’re too quick to toe the party line.

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“The idea that art should be isolated from political realities is absurd,” McKellar said. “Art and politics have always influenced each other and always will.”

“We have to have an inclusive creative arts industry, one where people from all walks of life are respected,” Opposition transport infrastructure spokesman David Southwick, MP for Caulfield, said on Sunday. “If there are people who want to use this industry as a tool of division and make people feel unwelcome then I think that should be stamped out in Victoria.”

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