More than 2000 people have signed a statement supporting Brisbane-based composer Kellee Green following criticism of her winning composition at this year’s Queensland Music Awards and her acceptance speech.
Kellee Green won the 2025 QMA jazz award for her pro-Palestine piece River to Sea.Credit: Queensland Music Awards, Facebook
After winning her category with the instrumental piece River to Sea last week, the jazz musician used her acceptance speech to accuse the federal government of helping Israel “kill innocent Palestinian men, women and children” in Gaza.
Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner then accused the awards of being “hijacked by extremists” and withdrew council’s $25,000 funding and support for the event.
“The promotion of antisemitism at Tuesday night’s Queensland Music Awards was utterly shameful and divisive,” Schrinner said.
On Friday it was reported that Green had also been asked to take leave from her teaching position at a private Brisbane Catholic girls’ school.
In the wake of the criticism, local musicians prepared a statement supporting Green’s work. So far, it has garnered more than 2000 signatures.
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“We categorically reject Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s gross mischaracterisation of Green’s work as ‘an offensively titled anti-Jewish song’,” the statement reads.
“We likewise reject his allegation that Green’s acceptance featured ‘vile hate speech’, that her win represented a ‘promotion of antisemitism’, or that the QMAs have been ‘hijacked by extremists’.
“These inflammatory claims are unfounded and dangerous in their attempt to suppress dissenting voices.”
The statement also rejected QMusic chief executive Kris Stewart’s assertion that music awards are not a “platform for political debate”, arguing it “undermines the long-standing role of artists as commentators and truth-tellers”.
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