Festival organizers late on Wednesday announced that the Munich Philharmonic would no longer perform on September 18 as planned, saying they were concerned about conductor Lahav Shani's attitude to the Israeli government. Shani, who is to officially take over as conductor of the orchestra for the 2026/27 season, currently serves as music director of the Israel Philharmonic. In a statement, the organizers said they were "unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude" towards the Israeli government, which is currently waging a war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, triggering a humanitarian crisis in the territory.