A petition has been launched on Change.org calling on the Flanders Festival Ghent to reverse its decision to cancel the Munich Philharmonic’s concert under Lahav Shani, scheduled for 18 September. The initiative was taken by Mahan Esfahani, Joshua Weilerstein, Danny Driver, and Kyril Zlotnikov, and has already been signed by hundreds of musicians around the world.
The festival announced the cancellation, citing Shani’s role as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and pressure from political and cultural bodies in Ghent. The decision, framed as a matter of conscience and solidarity with calls to distance from Israel’s government, provoked strong reactions from the City of Munich and the orchestra itself, who denounced it as discriminatory.
The petition argues that cancelling the performance punishes musicians collectively and undermines the role of music as a space for dialogue and reconciliation. Among the signatories are some of the most respected artists in classical music, including Martha Argerich, Renaud Capuçon, András Schiff, Nicholas Daniel, Steven Isserlis, Ryan Bancroft, Emmanuel Pahud, Marc Bouchkov, and Mischa Maisky.
The petition emphasises that Shani has publicly spoken for peace and reconciliation, and insists that cultural exchange should not fall victim to political polarisation. “Music should build bridges, not walls,” the text declares.
The organisers expect more prominent names to join the list of supporters in the coming days, underlining the growing impact of the initiative.
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