28 February 2020
Newsdesk
Opera star Placido Domingo has withdrawn from performances of La Traviata at Madrid’s Teatro Real following complaints of his sexual misconduct.
The news came shortly after the Spanish tenor released a statement addressing an apology he made on Tuesday (25Feb20) to the women who accused him of sexual harassment after an investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists labour union.
In his latest message, Domingo said, "My apology was sincere and heartfelt, to any colleague who I have made to feel uncomfortable, or hurt in any manner, by anything I have said or done, but I know what I have not done and I’ll deny it again. I have never behaved aggressively toward anyone, and I have never done anything to obstruct or hurt anyone’s career in any way."
He then announced he was withdrawing from the Teatro Real engagements in May so as not to "harm" his colleagues.
Officials at the opera house were due to meet with Domingo to discuss his participation in the shows after releasing a statement which read: "The Teatro Real reaffirms its policy of zero tolerance towards harassment and abuse of any nature, and its continuing solidarity with the victims."
Earlier this week, Ministry of Culture officials in Spain dropped the tenor from a pair of shows also scheduled to take place in May at the Zarzuela Theatre in Madrid to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the tenor's first performance in the city.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture explained, "Faced with the difficult situation and after Domingos own statements in which he took complete responsibility for his actions, the Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escenicas y de la Musica (National Institute of Performing Arts and Music), in solidarity with the women affected, has taken the decision to cancel his performances at the Teatro Nacional de la Zarzuela (Zarzuela Theatre) on May 14 and 15."
The singer's career has taken a hit ever since a pair of exposes, published by The Associated Press last summer (19), uncovered historic allegations of inappropriate behaviour from more than 20 women.
The 79 year old previously denied claims of unwanted touching and kissing, maintaining all encounters were consensual, but representatives at the U.S. Opera Union found him guilty of sexual misconduct and abuse of power.
