We are requesting the parties involved to please reconsider their decision to remove Maestro Halls from the Oregon Bach Festival over this incident. 

This incident appears to be conjecture and is not rooted in racism. It was a misunderstanding of someone overhearing a conversation between friends. If this was racism, it would have been Mr. Mobley making the complaint, which he has not. 

According to an article published by The Telegraph UK 

"An acclaimed British conductor has been fired from a prestigious American music festival after a seemingly innocent joke he made to a black friend was labelled racist.

Matthew Halls was removed as artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival following an incident in which he imitated a southern American accent while talking to his longstanding friend, the African-American classical singer Reginald Mobley....."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/09/british-conductor-sacked-us-music-festival-joke-labelled-racist/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_em