Plácido Domingo quits New York Metropolitan Opera over sexual harassment accusations

While he was scheduled to perform in Verdi’s Macbeth at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Plácido Domingo preferred to give up. Accused of sexual harassment by several women, the Spanish tenor said he did not want to distract “the attention from the hard work” of his colleagues.

Placido Domingo has given up performing at Metropolitan Opera de New York, announced Tuesday the lyrical institution and the famous Spanish tenor, accused of sexual harassment by several women. Plácido Domingo, 78 years old and first appeared on the New York scene more than half a century ago, was due from Wednesday, September 25 at the Met in a new production of Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi.

The tenor has again refuted the accusations against him, in a statement sent to AFP, saying to himself ” worried about the climate in which people are sentenced without trial »Fair. ” After reflection, I think that my performance in this production of Macbeth would distract from the hard work of my colleagues, on stage and backstage ”, he explained. ” So I asked to step down and thank the Met executives for granting my request. “, He continued, adding that he considered the dress rehearsal as his” last performance on the Met stage ».

« The Met and Mr. Domingo agreed to give up », Commented the opera where he had debuted at 27 years old. ” Plácido Domingo has agreed to withdraw from all upcoming performances at the Met, with immediate effect ».

Caught up by #MeToo

The tenor was caught up in August by the #MeToo movement which has brought down many powerful men since October 2017, especially in the entertainment world. In a survey published in mid-August by the American agency Associated Press (AP), nine women, including one with her face uncovered, claimed to have been sexually harassed by Plácido Domingo from the late 1980s.

AP released a second investigation on September 7, claiming that eleven other women, including one named, also claimed to be victims. The Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera had canceled their scheduled performances for this season in August. The Dallas Opera then canceled a concert scheduled for March 2020. The Los Angeles Opera, of which he has been general manager since 2003, suspended him as a precaution and launched an investigation into the accusations, the conclusions of which no ‘have not yet been published.

Initially, the Met had indicated that it would vote after their publication. Plácido Domingo is due to perform on February 22 at the Los Angeles Opera, an opera house that did not respond to a request to comment on the tenor’s decision to forgo singing at the Met. The AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) has also launched an investigation into the singer, announced in September its director Len Egert.

Support from colleagues and fans

Mezzo-soprano Maria José Suarez, who has performed alongside him several times, said she saw women “ run after him “, Telling a Spanish radio station:” what I saw is a good person, who is a man who loves women, just like I love men, and that’s not a problem ”.

According to US public radio NPR, Met director Peter Gelb held a closed-door meeting over the weekend to explain to employees that they had not suspended the tenor because the AP information was not sufficiently corroborated. According to the radio, many Met employees complained that the tenor was staying and one had gone on sick leave to avoid working with him.

The Met was recently rocked by accusations of sexual assault made by nine men against its musical director, James Levine, first suspended and then fired after an internal investigation in March 2018, after more than 40 years of career. Plácido Domingo now has several engagements planned in Europe, in particular October 13 in Zurich and October 17 in Moscow. In August he received a standing ovation at the Salzburg Festival and in Szeged, Hungary.

With AFP

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