Met Opera Suspends Renowned Conductor After Sex Abuse Accusations

NEW YORK, NY — New York's Metropolitan Opera has suspended renowned conductor James Levine after several claims of sexual abuse were made against him.

"Mr. Levine will not be involved in any Met activities, including conducting scheduled performances at the Met this season," the Met said in a statement.

The Met also said it has appointed attorney Robert J. Cleary, a former U.S. attorney and the current head of the investigations practice at the Proskauer Rose law firm, to lead the investigation into the allegations that took place from the 1960s to 1980s.

The move to suspend Levine came Sunday after the New York Post reported one of Levine's accusers claimed he had sexual contact with the conductor as a teenager. Met officials said they were launching an investigation.

On Sunday, The New York Times reported similar accounts from two other men accusing Levine of sexual misconduct.

According to the Times, one of the accusers said he was sexually abused by Levine starting in the summer of 1986, when he was 16. He reported the allegations to the police department in Lake Forest, Illinois, in October 2016. Met officials said they learned of the police report last year.

He said he reached out to police in Lake Forest because some of his encounters with Levine took place there in the mid-1980s. Levine served as music director at the Ravinia Festival, outside Chicago, from 1973 to 1993.

The Times reported claims from two other musicians that Levine abused them when they were 17.

"Based on these new reports, the Met has made the decision to act now, while we await the results of the investigation," said Peter Gelb, Met General Manager. "This is a tragedy for anyone whose life has been affected."

An email to Levine's manager seeking comment on the accusations was not immediately returned.
Met officials said in an earlier statement that Levine has denied the charges.

On Saturday afternoon, Levine conducted a performance of Verdi's "Requiem" that was broadcast on radio worldwide. It was expected to be his last appearance at the Met for at least the rest of this year and possibly the foreseeable future. Levine was scheduled to conduct a New Year's Eve gala performance of "Tosca."

The opera company honored Levine with the title of Music Director Emeritus after the end the 2015-2016 season.

The accusations against Levine, among the most prominent classical music conductors in the world, are the latest in a stream of sexual misconduct charges involving high-profile men in entertainment and the media that have rocked the nation since accusations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein were reported in October.

Levine served as music director of the Met from 1976 to 2016, when he assumed the position of music director emeritus.

'Levine has struggled with health problems including Parkinson's disease, in recent years but was scheduled to conduct several productions this season.

Lead image of James Levine by AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File