Chief conductor fired after sexual assault claims

THE chief conductor at Amsterdam’s renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Daniele Gatti, has been fired because of allegations of sexual harassment, the orchestra said on Thursday.

Gatti dismissed the allegations as a “smear campaign” and said he had asked his lawyers to protect his reputation.

The allegations first arose in an article on July 26 in the Washington Post, in which female singers accused Gatti of groping and other inappropriate sexual behaviour.