Sophie Galaise, the former managing director at the centre of the censorship row that has engulfed the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, said freedom of expression was a core value of music in an email to supporters of the organisation in December, promising the MSO would “continue to use our voice and our art to stand up for dignity and safety in the face of oppression”.

Those comments stand in contrast with Galaise’s decision to cancel a performance by pianist Jayson Gillham last month after he dedicated a piece to Palestinian journalists killed in the conflict in Gaza, and accused the Israeli government of targeted assassinations.

“Music at its very core stands for humanity, peace, freedom of expression, and for coming together above personal difference,” Galaise wrote in an email sent to the MSO’s mailing list on December 18.

“We share our artistry and use the power of music to support peace and understanding. It is our hope that, as it always has, music can bring us together, and we look forward to celebrating our humanity through music with a dedicated concert in the first part of 2024.

“At this special event, the MSO and its audience will call for the release of all Israeli hostages, and for the protection of the Palestinian and Israeli civilian population.”

Galaise referenced the email, though not its content, in a lengthy interview published in The Australian on Tuesday, arguing that it reflected a decision by the company to remain neutral on the issue of the conflict in Gaza.

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“We had worked with the board, the management, our musicians and our people to decide what we would be doing in regards to the geopolitical situation in Gaza, and that was published last December,” she told The Australian.

“And we decided … we would not take sides in the conflict … we would try to remain a safe haven for people who want to hear good music and not be subjected to different personal opinions.”