Names and faces

• Berry Gordy, the Motown mogul who launched the careers of numerous stars including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, has announced his retirement. The Detroit Free Press reports that Gordy said he had “come full circle” at a 60th-anniversary event for Motown Records on Sunday. The 89-year-old Detroit native built Motown Records into a hit-making music, film and television empire that shattered racial barriers and introduced the world at large to the sounds of R&B, soul and funk. Gordy sold the record label in 1988 but remained active, developing a musical and staying involved with the Motown Museum’s $50 million expansion campaign. Speaking about retirement, Gordy said he has “dreamed about it, talked about it, threatened it” for years. Director Lee Daniels also presented Gordy with the Motown Legacy honor.

• When opera superstar Placido Domingo appeared in Europe last month after being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, his performances were greeted with rapturous ovations. This week, the spotlight moves to the United States, where Domingo faces two investigations into his behavior and is scheduled to help kick off the new season at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Companies in three other American cities have canceled his performances due to the allegations. Wednesday’s appearance in Macbeth marks the legendary tenor’s first performance in the United States since the publication of two Associated Press stories in which numerous women said he sexually harassed them or engaged in other inappropriate behavior, including one soprano who said he grabbed her bare breast under her robe. Domingo has called the allegations “in many ways, simply incorrect,” without providing any specifics. Domingo is general director of LA Opera, which has engaged outside counsel to conduct its investigation. He also is being investigated by the American Guild of Musical Artists, the union representing many opera employees. The Met has said it will wait for the results of the LA Opera investigation before deciding on any action against Domingo, who is scheduled to perform at the storied opera house seven times this season. The Met’s general manager, Peter Gelb, held an emotional, often heated meeting about Domingo with chorus singers and orchestra musicians after a dress rehearsal Saturday, according to a musician who attended the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Domingo was not at the meeting. Gelb later said he told the group that the Met cannot act until “there is corroborated evidence which has so far not been the case.” The musician said at least one staff member told Gelb, “This is exactly why women don’t come forward.”

Domingo