SIR – In the last few years I have seen Gilad Atzmon play twice. The last occasion was at the Alhambra Studio in 2009, and the musicianship of Atzmon and the multi-ethnic Orient House Ensemble was fabulous. A couple of years previous to that, I had seen them at the Musicport Festival in Whitby – again fantastic. More importantly perhaps, I also attended a talk given by Atzmon there. He is without doubt uncompromising and outspoken, and critical of the Israeli state’s actions in many regards. But not anti-Semitic – that is an outrageous accusation with no basis in what Atzmon actually says. Where Mr Meszaros gets that idea from is beyond me. If Atzmon were to be prevented from performing in Bradford, that would be a disgrace. Here we have the chance to enjoy a world-class musician, acknowledged to be at the top of his game.

To quote from Atzmon’s CD Being In Time: “Music comes into play when thoughts pass away, consciousness disintegrates and ideologies implode.’ Let’s hope so. I’m looking forward to the gig, and would encourage any other music-lover to go along and enjoy it too.

Jane Robinson, Redburn Drive, Shipley