Placido Domingo concerts cancelled and investigation launched amid sexual misconduct accusations
- Legendary Spanish tenor is alleged to have harassed numerous women, including eight singers and a dancer, over decades
Two music companies cancelled appearances by Placido Domingo and the Los Angeles Opera said on Tuesday it would launch an investigation in response to a report in which numerous women accused the opera legend of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour spanning decades.
Domingo has been general director of the LA Opera since 2003 and previously served as the company’s artistic director, jobs that gave him the power to cast roles and – his accusers say – make, or break, careers.
Some of the women said that Domingo used his power at the LA company and elsewhere to try to pressure them into sexual relationships, with several saying that he dangled jobs and then sometimes punished them professionally if they refused his advances.
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Opera announced they would cancel upcoming performances featuring the star, regarded as one of the greatest opera singers of all time.
New York’s Metropolitan Opera said it would await the results of LA Opera’s investigation “before making any final decisions about Mr Domingo’s future at the Met”, where he is expected to appear next month.