The recent decision by the Festival of Flanders Ghent to cancel the concert at which conductor Lahav Shani, together with the Münchner Philharmoniker, was to perform in St Baaf’s Cathedral on 18 September has understandably caused quite a stir: in the press, on social media and in politics.
We are currently receiving many questions and numerous reactions from various quarters. Because it is important to provide clarity when emotions are running high, we would like to briefly explain our current position.
Music Centre De Bijloke has no intention or reason to cancel any concert. Cancelling advertised concerts for political reasons does not seem like the right choice to us, let alone a solution to complex problems. Apart from the obviously difficult situation in which musicians and artists currently find themselves, whether they are Israeli or not, audiences are not served by rash decisions that ignore the connection that classical music can bring.
For many artists from the theatre and performance world, activism and creative response go hand in hand. For classical musicians, who derive their expressive power from music, this is less obvious. Some of the artists performing with us this season are very committed and find their way easily with words and statements. Other musicians have signed petitions against disproportionate violence. Still others express their concerns by playing and organising peace concerts. Finally, there are also artists who do not speak out. Each of these reactions is legitimate: we believe that the right to remain silent and to reflect is fundamental. In that sense, we will never force an individual artist to explicitly formulate his or her opinion. However, we do draw a line for artists and organisations that openly and unashamedly associate themselves with the glorification of violence and the condoning of hatred and intolerance.
As is often the case with sensitive issues, there is a lot of information and, unfortunately, sometimes also misinformation and polarisation. The debate surrounding Lahav Shani's concert took a turn in which the press and politicians played a major role in attempting to frame the situation. We express our deep concern about the exploitation of this issue at the expense of the autonomy of our arts sector. Some voices are pushing for a war of words and values between arts organisations: we refuse to go along with this and emphasise that every arts organisation has the right to make decisions autonomously and at its own discretion. However, the basis of our sector-wide concern, supported by oKo (Overleg Kunstenorganisaties, Flanders’ Industry Federation for the Arts), is and remains the commitment to ending the devastating horror that is currently taking place in the Middle East, however small or powerless our contributions to this may be.
Our current concern is to ensure that Muziekcentrum De Bijloke is a safe place for both artists and concertgoers, regardless of their origin, religion or beliefs. We believe that a concert organiser's social commitment is reflected in the collective range of artists, ensembles and performers offered to the public. Based on this conviction, we would like to extend a warm welcome to all artists featured in this season's programme, and we look forward to introducing them to our audience.