Charles Dutoit
(c) Bruno Fidrych
The epidemic of late-thought allegations about sexual harassment has reached conductor Charles Dutoit. Several women have accused Dutoit of sexual misconduct. In reaction orchestras have said they severed ties with the conductor and would monitor the situation. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – where Dutoit is an Honorary Conductor and conducts nearly 30 concerts a year, said in a statement: “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.”
The Boston Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony said they have severed ties with Dutoit. The New York Philharmonic said in a statement that Dutoit had informed the group he was withdrawing from concerts he was scheduled to conduct in January, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra said he’d withdrawn from conducting concerts next spring.
