It seemed rather like any other Sunday recital at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Iwaki Auditorium: several brilliant pieces of music composed by Brahms, Poulenc and Britten performed by musicians before a rapt audience of about 200 people. That serenity belied the reality: everything had changed in the days leading up to the event. MSO musicians voted unanimously on Thursday to call for the sacking of managing director Sophie Galaise and chief operating officer Guy Ross, citing “general standards of leadership that have led to the ongoing issues with communication, morale, and psychosocial hazards affecting our workforce”.
MSO managing director Sophie Galaise. Credit: Laura Manariti The move came after the MSO removed acclaimed pianist Jayson Gillham from their Thursday night Melbourne Town Hall line-up after he dedicated a new piece of music at a Sunday recital last week to journalists killed in Gaza. MSO management claimed they had received complaints about his comments but later said the decision to remove Gillham was an “error” and cancelled the entire performance instead.
The Gillham incident was clearly the final straw for MSO musicians, as their letter presented to the board on Thursday reflected. Loading “Despite ongoing attempts to engage with senior leadership and provide feedback through formal channels, including committee consultations, employee culture surveys and internal grievance procedures, the response from management has been insufficient, .