Famed conductor accused of sexual misconduct
SAN FRANCISCO — Three opera singers and a classical musician in the United States say that worldrenowned conductor Charles Dutoit, who had a 25-year run with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, sexually assaulted them — physically restraining them, forcing his body against theirs, sometimes thrusting his tongue into their mouths, and in one case, sticking one of their hands down his pants.
In separate interviews with The Associated Press, the accusers provided detailed accounts of incidents they say occurred between 1985 and 2010 in a moving car, the two-time Grammy winner’s hotel suite, his dressing room, an elevator and the darkness of backstage.
The women accuse the 81-yearold artistic director and principal conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of sexual misconduct on the sidelines of rehearsals and performances in five cities — Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Saratoga Springs, New York.
Within hours of the story’s release Thursday, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony severed all ties with Dutoit. The New York Philharmonic released a statement saying Dutoit had withdrawn from conducting concerts there in January; the Cleveland Orchestra announced his withdrawal from three concerts in February and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra said Dutoit had withdrawn from six concerts there in March and April.
In statements, the orchestras noted the “very serious” and “extremely troubling” nature of the graphic and detailed accusations.
On Friday, London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra said it would release principal conductor Dutoit from upcoming concert obligations while the allegations are investigated. The Philadelphia Orchestra, meanwhile, has removed Dutoit’s title of conductor laureate. The orchestra said Friday it has ended its affiliation with Dutoit, its chief conductor from 2008-12.
“He threw me against the wall, shoved my hand down his pants and shoved his tongue down my throat,” retired mezzo-soprano Paula Rasmussen recounted of an incident she said occurred in his dressing room at the LA Opera in September 1991.
Dutoit, who also holds the title of conductor emeritus of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, did not respond to multiple attempts to reach him through the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and his office in Montreal. The Royal Philharmonic said Dutoit was currently on vacation, but that it had forwarded the AP’s emailed requests for comment directly to him. The AP also reached out to Dutoit’s office with several phone calls and emails.
In a long, distinguished career, he travelled the globe as a guest conductor. All four women said the Swiss-born conductor either lured them to a private place to discuss or practice music, or simply seized a moment alone to make his move. The women all said they resisted him and escaped.
The AP spoke with colleagues and friends of each accuser who confirmed the women shared details of their experiences at the time. The women said they never filed formal complaints because they were young and Dutoit was the maestro, but felt inspired to come forward now by all the women speaking out about sexual misconduct by powerful men in other industries and by the Metropolitan Opera suspending conductor James Levine earlier this month after misconduct accusations surfaced.
Rasmussen said Dutoit summoned her to his dressing room repeatedly after attacking her, but that she never again went alone.
Baritone John Atkins said he stood guard for her after the incident “as a witness, for lack of a better term.” Atkins said he still remembers the cold stare from Dutoit. “He looked at me like, ‘Why are you standing here?’ And I looked at him like, ‘You know why.’”