Metropolitan Opera Fires Conductor James Levine After Sexual Assault Investigation

Three men accused Levine of abusing them as teenagers

The Metropolitan Opera has cut ties with conductor James Levine following an investigation into sexual assault accusations made against him, the company announced on Monday.

The Met, which suspended Levine in December after the allegations first became public, said in a statement that a subsequent investigation “uncovered credible evidence that Mr. Levine had engaged in sexually abusive and harassing conduct both before and during the period when he worked at the Met.”

“The investigation also uncovered credible evidence that Mr. Levine engaged in sexually abusive and harassing conduct towards vulnerable artists in the early stages of their careers, over whom Mr. Levine had authority,” the statement continued. “In light of these findings, the Met concludes that it would be inappropriate and impossible for Mr. Levine to continue to work at the Met.”

In a New York Times report last December, three men accused the famed conductor of sexually assaulting them decades ago as teenagers.

The accusations dated back to the summer 1968, when musicians Chris Brown and James Lestock, then both 17-year-old students, say a 25-year-old Levine abused them while he was a “rising star” on the summer program’s faculty, per the Times. A third accuser, Ashok Pai, told the paper that he reported to Illinois police that he was sexually abused by Levine starting in the summer of 1986, when Pai was 16.

Levine has led more than 2,500 performances at the Met, and, prior to the NYT report, was scheduled to lead a new production of Puccini’s “Tosca” beginning on New Year’s Eve. He also had two other slated productions canceled when he was put on suspension last year.

Read the full statement from The Met below:

After considering the findings of a thorough investigation conducted by outside counsel that lasted more than three months, the Metropolitan Opera has terminated its relationship with James Levine as Music Director Emeritus and Artistic Director of its young artist program.

The investigation uncovered credible evidence that Mr. Levine had engaged in sexually abusive and harassing conduct both before and during the period when he worked at the Met. The investigation also uncovered credible evidence that Mr. Levine engaged in sexually abusive and harassing conduct towards vulnerable artists in the early stages of their careers, over whom Mr. Levine had authority. In light of these findings, the Met concludes that it would be inappropriate and impossible for Mr. Levine to continue to work at the Met.

The investigation also found that any claims or rumors that members of the Met’s management or its Board of Directors engaged in a cover-up of information relating to these issues are completely unsubstantiated.

We thank the more than 70 individuals who were interviewed during the course of the investigation.

We recognize the great concerns over these issues that have been expressed by the Met community both inside and outside of the opera house, and wish to provide the assurance that the Met is committed to ensuring a safe, respectful and harassment-free workplace for its employees and artists.

Comments