Placido Domingo resigns from LA Opera leadership

(L-R) Mariinsky Theatre artistic director, conductor Valery Gergiev, Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, and Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov perform during a concert by opera stars ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, at Moscow's Red Square, June 13, 2018. /VCG Photo

Opera singer Placido Domingo on Wednesday resigned as general director of Los Angeles Opera, saying that accusations of sexual misconduct had compromised his ability to continue in the role.

"Recent accusations that have been made against me in the press have created an atmosphere in which my ability to serve this Company that I so love has been compromised," Domingo said in a statement to the opera house.

"While I will continue to work to clear my name, I have decided that it is in the best interests of LA Opera for me to resign as its General Director and withdraw from my future scheduled performances at this time," he added.

A banner shows the Los Angeles Opera's general director, Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, hanging from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, home to the LA Opera in Los Angeles, California, August 13, 2019. /VCG Photo

More than three dozen singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff have said in recent weeks that they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate behavior by Domingo toward women at different opera houses over the last three decades.

Domingo, 78, has disputed the accusations but Los Angeles Opera in August said it would hold an independent investigation. It has yet to make public any findings of the probe. He has been general director at LA Opera since 2003.

Opera legend Placido Domingo appears before the crowds before the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, October 28, 2018. /VCG Photo

LA Opera on Wednesday described Domingo as "an outstandingly talented artist (and) also the driving force behind the creation, development and growth of LA Opera."

Last month the Spanish singer and conductor pulled out at the last minute from a performance in "Macbeth" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and said he would never perform there again.

European theaters mostly wait-and-see on Domingo accusations

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Source(s): Reuters