Concertgebouw Reinstates Concert by Jerusalem Quartet After Outcry

May 16, 2024, 12:09 PM · Responding to a global outcry by prominent classical musicians, officials at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw hall on Thursday announced the reinstatement of one of two Jerusalem Quartet concerts that had been cancelled the day before, due to safety concerns over planned demonstrations over the war in Gaza.

The Jerusalem Quartet will perform on Saturday at The Concertgebouw, with tightened security measures, adjusted visitor flow and an adjusted starting time. The concert also will be streamed on the website of The Concertgebouw. Watch it here:

The reversal followed a backlash over the Wednesday cancellations, which prompted a petition to reinstate the concerts. In 24 hours the petition drew almost 13,000 signatures from musicians worldwide, including well-known classical artists such as Joshua Bell, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Nikolaj Znaider, Paavo Jaarvi, Simon Rattle, Alisa Weilerstein, Roman Mints, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Noah Bendix-Balgley and many others.

The petition, started by pianist Danny Driver and harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, argued that "By cancelling these concerts, the management of the Concertgebouw placates a vocal minority who advocate for their cause through intimidation and credible threats of disorder and violence....Anything less than permitting the Jerusalem Quartet to continue with its planned performances — and to provide them and the audience of the Concertgebouw with protection and support — amounts to pure moral cowardice."

The Jerusalem String Quartet.

Concertgebouw General Manager Simon Reinink addressed those concerns in today's announcement, stating that "Every concert must be able to go ahead. The Concertgebouw fully supports its mission to connect and enrich everyone with sublime music, regardless of background, religion, culture or any distinction. We must continue to stand up for the free society we want to be. Every day."

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