In an Associated Press article this August, nine women accused tenor/conductor Plácido Domingo of sexual harassment, beginning in the 1980s. Several other women came forward in September with further allegations. Los Angeles Opera, where Domingo was general director since 2003, launched an investigation, while organizations including the Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Opera replaced Domingo with other performers. Subsequently, Domingo and the Metropolitan Opera announced that they were severing their ties, after five decades, and Domingo stepped down from the Los Angeles Opera. The American Guild of Musical Artists, the union representing opera singers, launched an investigation into sexual harassment concerning Domingo, centering its inquiry on “systemic failures within the industry that could have allowed this conduct, if substantiated, to continue unchallenged for decades.” In July, violinist Lara St. John alleged that she was repeatedly sexually abused by Jascha Brodsky, her teacher at the Curtis Institute of Music when she studied there in the 1980s, and stated that her claims were disregarded. (Brodsky died in 1997.) Curtis is reviewing its policies around sexual assault and harassment.
The League of American Orchestras encourages its members to follow best practices in preventing sexual misconduct and in responding to claims. Find League resources for harassment prevention and response in the orchestral workplace at americanorchestras.org.
