Lahav Shani, future chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, stands on stage after receiving the Golden Medal of Honor from the City of Munich. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa via Reuters Connect

A group of musicians launched a petition on Wednesday night urging an upcoming international music festival in Ghent, Belgium, to reconsider canceling a concert by the Munich Philharmonic, which was called off because its future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, is Israeli and also the music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Munich Philharmonic was scheduled to perform on Sept. 18 at the Flanders Festival Ghent with Shani as conductor. Shani will take over as conductor of the Munich Philharmonic for the 2026/27 season. Organizers of the festival, taking place in the Flemish region of Belgium, said on Wednesday they made the decision to cancel the concert “on the basis of our deepest conviction that music should be a source of connection and reconciliation.”

They said in a released statement that the Tel Aviv-born director “has spoken out in favor 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.”

“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,” organizers added. “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. We have chosen to maintain the serenity of our festival and safeguard the concert experience for our visitors and musicians.”

Tickets purchased for the concert will be fully reimbursed and ticketholders are “currently being contacted personally,” organizers said. They additionally claimed that the festival “aspires to be a place where artists, audiences, and staff can experience music in a context of respect and safety” and “remains committed to the universal power of music.”

On Wednesday night, a group of musicians, led by the Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, started a petition that urges the Ghent Festival of Flanders to immediately reverse its “morally bankrupt decision” to cancel the concert with Shani and to uphold “the values of dialogue and openness.” More than 3,000 people have signed the petition, whose co-authors include British pianist Danny Driver, American conductor and violinist Joshua Weilerstein, and Belarusian musician Kyril Zlotnikov.

“The Ghent Festival has chosen to punish an artist on the basis of his nationality alone,” the musicians wrote in their petition. “What is more insidious is the implication that any artist, Israeli or otherwise, will only be accepted if they express unequivocally the ‘correct’ opinions.”

“This decision will do nothing to save a single Palestinian life, bring a hostage home, or to make any improvement to the unbearable civilian suffering currently taking place in this conflict,” they added, referring to the war in Gaza. “It will, however, resonate loudly with those who equate an artist’s nationality with an excuse to exclude them from the cultural sphere.”

In a joint statement, the Munich Philharmonic and city of Munich said they were “appalled” by the cancellation of the concert. They accused Flanders Festival Ghen organizers of caving to “pressure from activist groups and Belgian politics,” and defended Shani.

“Lahav Shani is stepping up for understanding, humanism and dialogue in all his work as a musician and a human being,” they said. “We strongly refuse to bring Israeli artists under general suspicion and collectively punish them. Banning people from the stage, concert hall, or other public places because of their origin or religious affiliation is an attack on essential European and democratic values.”

Munich Philharmonic Director Florian Wiegand said he was “stunned” that the festival “is making such an unimaginable decision,” while Marek Wiechers, head of cultural affairs in the city of Munich, described Shani as someone who “stands for humanity, reconciliation, and understanding like no other, with his integrative work and attitude.”

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter called the decision “utterly incomprehensible” and declared: “The City of Munich, and I personally, stand firmly with the Munich Philharmonic and with their future chief conductor, Lahav Shani.”

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra said it “firmly condemns the decision” and expressed “profound regret” over the move.

“In the world of music and art, there is simply no place for withdrawing an invitation based on one’s place of origin,” the orchestra said. “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.”

Israel’s Ambassador to Belgium Idit Rosenzweig-Abu described the decision as “antisemitic,” and accused festival organizers of “racism” and “discriminating a person based solely on his origin.” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told the local radio station RTBF he thinks the cancellation is “excessive.”

“We must not confuse the Jewish community and Israelis with Netanyahu’s policies,” he added, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer criticized the move as a “disgrace for Europe” and said in a statement that “under the guise of supposed criticism of Israel, a cultural boycott is being carried out here.”

The Flanders Festival Ghen runs from Sept. 12- Oct. 2. The event attracts more than 50,000 visitors and showcases classical music, as well as world music and jazz, according to its website. The festival hosts at least 180 concerts and more than 1,500 international artists. Flanders Festival Ghent is a member of the Federation of Flanders Music Festivals (FMiV) and the European Festivals Association (EFA).