Royal Philharmonic conductor accused of sex attacks on women
THE artistic director and principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has been accused of sexually assaulting four female musicians.
Charles Dutoit, 81, is alleged to have physically restrained three opera singers and a classical musician, forcing himself on them in separate incidents between 1985 and 2010.
The women, who were interviewed by the Associated Press, claim the sexual misconduct took place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Saratoga Springs, New York.
Paula Rasmussen, a retired mezzosoprano, said: “He threw me against the wall, shoved my hand down his pants and shoved his tongue down my throat.”
Sylvia Mcnair, 61, a soprano and two-time Grammy winner, said Dutoit pushed himself against her in a hotel lift after a March 1985 rehearsal with the Minnesota Orchestra. The other two alleged victims were not identified but claimed they were assaulted in 2006, one in a hotel and the other in his dressing room, in a moving car and backstage before a performance.
Dutoit, a two-time Grammy winner, is one of the world’s most sought-after conductors. He has been artistic director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) since 2009 and was this year awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society, one of classical music’s highest honours.
He did not immediately comment and is understood to be on holiday.
The RPO confirmed it would be speaking to Dutoit whenever possible.
It said: “Based on the information available to us, these allegations were issued without reaction from Mr Dutoit and, to the best of our knowledge, the claimants have initiated no formal legal proceedings. Nonetheless, we take this matter very seriously and we will be monitoring the situation closely.”
It said it had received no complaints or claims of inappropriate behaviour relating to his work, adding: “As a leading international ensemble, the RPO is committed to the highest standards of ethical behaviour, which it expects from everyone that works with the orchestra. The RPO takes very seriously its responsibility to maintain a safe working environment.”
The four women all said they resisted Dutoit and escaped. They said they had not filed formal complaints because they were young and he was the maestro but felt inspired to come forward by all the women speaking out about sexual misconduct by powerful men in other industries.