Galaise revealed the discussions in support of her contention that she had been unfairly sacked by the MSO board in the wake of the scandal.

“Why was I sacked? In my opinion it’s not fair. It was a disagreement[with the board] but it[my position] was not a mistake.”

Galaise claimed she was sacked after the MSO board overturned her,and her executive management team’s,decision to remove pianist Gillham from the orchestra’s line-up after he dedicated a piece of music to journalists killed in Gaza while performing at a recital on August 11.

On August 16,musicians of the MSO orchestra wrote to the board with a vote of no confidence in management,calling for Galaise and chief operating officer Guy Ross to resign,and for an independent review of what happened with Gillham.

Ross remains with the organisation,and a review headed by former federal minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett has been instituted. Gillham,meanwhile,is pursuing legal action against the MSO.

Meanwhile,an attendee at Gillham’s recital on August 11,who asked to remain anonymous,wrote to this masthead saying he was one of those who complained after the event.

In response to the pianist saying “it is not only my right but my responsibility to use my platform to shed light on important issues”,the attendee said “my wife and I do not deny him his rights,but we seriously challenge his ignoringour rights in using this avenue to interrupt,midway in his performance,to read,unannounced,another person’s script of a highly sensitive overseas topic to a captive,fee-paying audience who attend on a Sunday morning to hear classical music. This was not a political event.”

The attendee said he and “others did complain to management about the appropriateness of his actions at that Sunday morning performance,and did appreciate the MSO notifying us that they had no prior knowledge” of Gillham’s intended dedication.