The organisers of the Flanders Festival in the Belgian town of Ghent have cancelled a concert by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra – because, they said, it was to be led by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani.
In a statement published yesterday, festival management said their decision was motivated by Lahav’s Israeli provenance.
“Lahav Shani has spoken out in favour of peace and reconciliation several times in the past but in the light of his role as the chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, we are unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv,” the statement read.
The Israeli Government is located in Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv.
The statement also mentioned pressure from Belgian institutions:
“In line with the call from the Minister of Culture, the city council of Ghent and the cultural sector in Ghent, we have chosen to refrain from collaboration with partners who have not distanced themselves unequivocally from that regime.
“Given the inhumanity of the current situation, which is also leading to emotional reactions in our own society, we believe it is undesirable to allow this concert to go ahead,” the organisers said.
“We have chosen to maintain the serenity of our festival and safeguard the concert experience for our visitors and musicians.”
The concert on September 18 was to be one of the highlights of the festival. Management said ticket holders would be contacted and would receive a full refund.
The decision has sparked outrage in Germany. Markus Blume, the Minister for Science and Arts of Bavaria, said: “The fact that the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra has been disinvited because an Israeli is conducting is nothing less than blatant anti-Semitism. It is shameful, hostile to culture, and simply scandalous.”
Germany’s Minister for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, called the decision “a disgrace for Europe”, saying: “Under the guise of supposed criticism of Israel, a cultural boycott is being carried out. This is pure anti-Semitism and an attack on the foundations of our culture.”
Weimer said Germany could not accept that German orchestras or Jewish artists were being cancelled, stating: “We will also bring this issue into European cultural policy.”
Florian Wiegand, manager of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra said: “We are stunned that a festival in Belgium, in the heart of Europe, the country where the European Union has its headquarters, would make such an unimaginable decision.”
In a reaction to Brussels Signal, The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra said, “The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra expresses its profound regret and firmly condemns the decision made by the Flanders Festival Ghent.”
”In the world of music and art, there is simply no place for withdrawing an invitation based on one’s place of origin. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Munich Philharmonic for their steadfast support of Lahav Shani, and we send Lahav a warm embrace of solidarity and encouragement”.
The 36-year-old Shani was chosen as the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra’s chief conductor for the 2026/27 season in 2023. Currently, he is the music director of the Israel Philharmonic. In the past, he has also worked with the Vienna Symphony and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
