New York Philharmonic to Investigate Workplace Culture Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations

On the afternoon of Thursday, April 18, the New York Philharmonic sent the following email from President and CEO Gary Ginstling to its board, musicians, and staff and posted it to Instagram. The email concerns the re-emergence of information about a case, reported by New York magazine, of alleged sexual abuse by two Philharmonic musicians, Matthew Muckey and Liang Wang, against Philharmonic French horn player Cara Kizer. The email below is posted with the permission of the Philharmonic.

Dear New York Philharmonic Community,

The details revealed in the New York magazine article are horrifying to me personally, and, while not yet a year into my tenure as President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, I am deeply concerned about not only the specifics but broader issues of institutional culture. Therefore, I have taken the following immediate steps:

1. 1. 1. At my direction, the Philharmonic has engaged Katya Jestin, co-managing partner of the law firm Jenner & Block, to launch an independent investigation into the culture of the New York Philharmonic in recent years. Katya has extensive experience handling sexual misconduct investigations and related matters involving extremely sensitive interviews. I am empowering Katya to look at everything and to leave no stone unturned, including any new allegations as they are reported. I pledge to share the recommendations with our board, our staff and our musicians as well as with the general public.  More details on the process will be coming shortly.
      2. For the time being, musicians Matthew Muckey and Liang Wang are not being assigned to any Philharmonic activity as we work through this process, and a decision about their future with the New York Philharmonic will be made in due course.
      3. The New York Philharmonic is preparing to seek changes to its audition and tenure review policies and procedures to provide more transparency, oversight and equity to the process. We look forward to working with Local 802 and our musician colleagues on these changes.

Nothing is more important than the culture of our orchestra and the safety of our musicians and staff, and it is only through this process that we will build the kind of vibrant and inclusive culture we all want.

Thank you,
Gary

The Philharmonic states that it will share the investigation’s recommendations with the Philharmonic community as well as with the general public.