Sacked pianist's case against orchestra heads to court

The opening strains of a concert pianist's discrimination case against the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are about to be heard in the Federal Court.

Jayson Gillham's case is set to become a test of workplace rights in Australia and the pianist has crowdfunded more than $175,000 to cover his legal costs.

He is suing the orchestra over the termination of his contract after a performance at an MSO event in 2024, when he performed a solo piece called Witness dedicated to journalists killed in Gaza.

Gillham introduced the piece by saying Israel targeted journalists in an effort to prevent the documentation and broadcasting of war crimes to the world.

The orchestra then cancelled his performance at the Melbourne Town Hall, citing safety concerns, with the controversy making international headlines.

The trial is expected to run for three weeks and the MSO is expected to call around 20 witnesses.

Artists should have the right to be themselves on stage and speak about pressing issues of conscience, Gillham has previously told AAP.

"I find that it's a very important principle and I am seeing it through right to the end," he said.

On May 7, the orchestra's management wrote to supporters saying although the MSO would have preferred to resolve the dispute, it would defend the case.

"A fundamental issue in dispute in the proceeding is who controls the MSO's stage," it said.

"The MSO maintains that Mr Gillham should have sought the authorisation of the MSO before making the statements he made from its stage."

Intergenerational conflicts in the Middle East region between Palestinians and Israelis escalated on October 7, 2023, when terrorist organisation Hamas launched an assault in southern Israel that killed more than 1200 people.

Since then, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to figures from Gaza's Ministry of Health cited by the United Nations.