Belgian music festival cancels performance because of German orchestra’s Israeli conductor

A music festival in Belgium has cancelled a planned concert by a prominent German orchestra over concerns about its Israeli conductor’s stance on the war in Gaza.

The Flanders Festival Ghent announced on September 10 that it had cancelled the Munich Philharmonic’s scheduled performance on September 18 due to a lack of “clarity” about the views of its incoming conductor, Israeli-born Lahav Shani.

"We have chosen to refrain from collaboration with partners who have not distanced themselves unequivocally from that regime," the Belgian organizers said as cited by Deutsche Welle, though they noted that Shani had "spoken out in favour of peace and reconciliation several times in the past."

The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra said it was “appalled” at the decision.

“We, the Munich Philharmonic and I, are profoundly shocked that a festival in Belgium – in the heart of Europe and the country that hosts the headquarters of the European Union – would make such an inconceivable decision,” executive director Florian Wiegand said in a statement.

The German government has equally reacted angrily over the decision, with Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer speaking of a "disgrace for Europe." He further described the decision as "pure antisemitism and an attack on the fundamentals of our culture," he said, calling the affair as setting "a dangerous precedent."

Weimer also praised the Munich Philharmonic as a "flagship of German culture and world-class quality" and declared that Germany was standing behind the Philharmonic and Shani, who has been appointed to serve as its chief conductor from 2026.

The incident pushes the music world into the world of politics and is reminiscent of the divide that emerged following the outbreak of the Russian war in Ukraine. Russian-born artists were penalized and performances dropped over their perceived ties to the Russian government and positions on the military developments.

By Nazrin Sadigova