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yesterday

Ghent Cancels Munich Philharmonic Concert, Berlin Stages Replacement After Backlash

An alternative performance in Berlin turned the dispute into a test of cultural boycotts versus compelled speech.

Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov at the Royal Albert Hall in London Thursday. (Screenshot)
Israeli conductor Lahav Shani was invited to perform in Berlin in a show of solidarity

Overview

  • The Flanders Festival Ghent dropped the Sept. 18 appearance, saying it lacked clarity on incoming Munich chief Lahav Shani’s stance given his leadership of the Israel Philharmonic and citing a "genocidal regime in Tel Aviv."
  • Lahav Shani, born in Tel Aviv and slated to lead the Munich Philharmonic in the 2026/27 season, had been due to conduct in Ghent.
  • German and Belgian officials condemned the cancellation, and Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever attended a Shani-led concert in Essen to denounce antisemitism.
  • The Munich Philharmonic performed Monday at Konzerthaus Berlin after a short-notice invitation, as the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation declared "full solidarity" with Shani and the orchestra.
  • An online petition urging a reversal surpassed 16,000 signatures, and a separate London concert featured Israeli conductor Volkov publicly calling for an end to the Gaza war.