A protester holds a sign that reads, ”From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” during a pro-Palestinian emergency demonstration outside the Consulate General of Israel in Houston, Texas, on March 19, 2025. Photo: Reginald Mathalone via Reuters Connect
Organizers of a music awards ceremony that celebrates artists in northeastern Australia said it is their “priority” to support an avid anti-Israel jazz musician, who won a top honor at the recent show for her anti-Israel composition and then repeatedly criticized the Jewish state in her acceptance speech.
QMusic, which is the Australian state of Queensland’s music industry development association and the organizer of the Queensland Music Awards (QMAs), sent a letter to its members on Sunday in support of “River to Sea” composer and pianist Kellee Green. The letter was sent after the Brisbane City Council (BCC) in Australia revoked funding worth $25,000 (US $15,755) for the QMAs effective immediately because Green’s seven-minute instrumental compassion won the jazz award at the annual ceremony on March 25.
A further $450,000 (USD $283,590) in annual funding to QMusic is also under review, according to The Guardian. Queensland’s Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek said in a recent statement that the awards show “should have never been the place for this divisive commentary to occur.”
“There are consequences for words and actions,” he added. “I have sought an explanation from QMusic. I will be questioning the awards process, current eligibility criteria, and comments made at the awards ceremony.”
In the letter to QMusic members, CEO Kris Stewart wrote: “One of our QMAs winners and members, Kellee Green, who, along with the QMAs, has received a lot of media attention in the days since the awards. Supporting Kellee is a priority, and I apologize for the delay in sharing this update with our members.”
“We have remained in regular contact with Kellee following the QMAs to ensure she is supported and has access to professional support services,” Stewart added in part. “The safety and wellbeing of our members and the wider music community is our shared responsibility … This moment serves as a reminder of the importance of a strong, united music community.”
Green, who is also a teacher at a private Catholic girls’ school, attended the QMAs on March 25 wearing an ensemble that prominently featured the colors of the Palestinian flag. The title of her composition “River to Sea” is a nod to the anti-Israel slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The phrase is largely recognized as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state — located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea — and for it to be replaced with “Palestine.”
In her acceptance speech after “River to Sea” won the jazz award, the Brisbane-based artist accused Israel of “76 years of genocide against the people of Palestine.” She claimed Israel “kill[s] innocent Palestinian men, women, and children,” and called for a boycott of the Jewish state. She also criticized the Australian government for supporting Israel. She alleged that Australia is “complicit in war crimes,” and “supports the mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing of an entire race of people.” Green ended the speech by proclaiming, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Her comments were condemned by Jewish groups as well as Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who called Green’s “promotion of antisemitism” at the QMAs “utterly shameful and divisive.” He criticized QMusic for giving an award “to an offensively titled anti-Jewish song” and allowing “vile hate speech” at the QMAs. Stewart responded to the backlash about Green’s song winning an award by saying that while QMA judges “recognize that this phrase [‘River to Sea’] carries political connotations, the title did not stand out as divisive within the volume of songs received.”
Brendan Cahill, the principal of the school Brigidine College in Indooroopilly where Green teaches, issued a statement to parents of students last week announcing that Green had agreed to take a leave of absence from the school, The Guardian reported. Green assured him that she had not made any political statements to students, and the school is further investigating Green’s “personal musical recordings,” Cahill added. The school has also been in contact with the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, which has called for QMusic to revoke Green’s award. Green’s website has since gone private, and she deactivated her social media accounts.
More than 2,000 members of the music industry have signed a statement in solidarity with Green that was launched by Taiwanese-Australian composer Matt Hsu, the founder of Brisbane’s Obscure Orchestra. A number of pro-Palestinian groups — such as the Facebook group called Teachers and School Staff for Palestine NSW — have also come out in support of Green and her song amid the controversy.
Discover more from Cave News Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Discussion about this post