US opera company says it fired conductor for sexual try-ons

US opera company says it fired conductor for sexual try-ons

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norman lebrecht

March 05, 2018

Opera Tampa has shared with local media the reason that Daniel Lipton left his job last year.

‘He caught up to me and he kissed me and tried to force his tongue in my mouth,’ says one singer.

Read full story here.

 

Comments

  • Doug says:

    The dominoes are tumbling so quickly it’s hard to keep track. But it sure is entertaining to see these charlatans get their comeuppance.

    • John Borstlap says:

      Yes, but the bigger problem is the damage it does to the art form. People outside music life, being irritated that so much money goes round in it, are given a nice opportunity to turn-up the populist tune a little bit further.

      • Saxon Broken says:

        It would be absolutely wrong to ignore any issues because you are “worrying about the art-form”.

  • M. renard says:

    Yet more evidence of the moral superiority as well as aesthetic perfection of classical music.

    Oh wait. Another maestro sexual abuser?

    But the burning question in the slippeddisc comments section: was he a GOOD conductor, because if so, well, art trumps abuse among classical music snobs.

    • Bruce says:

      Actually the real question that seems to concern us is, is he a famous conductor. That’s a much more reliable measure of quality than just some elitist’s opinion.

  • Sharon says:

    Maybe part of the reason that these things are being published now, apart from the “me too” trend, is that in the classical music world these things still have human interest value for media. In the popular mind the classical world is very conservative and moral and uplifting (eg. all the churches that put on free classical music organ or sometimes even quartet concerts to provide some “spiritual uplift” for the community). Therefore the irony of all this sexual misconduct in the classical music world still may have some shock value, although after all these recent scandals this may be changing.
    In the world of popular music sexual misconduct is ho-hum in the media because in the popular mind it is so expected. You know the saying “partied like a rock star.”
    As far as the conservative populists using sexual misconduct as an excuse not to fund the classical arts because the classical art world is no longer seen as sufficiently wholesome, these people disapprove of government funding, and sometimes even charitable funding of the arts in general regardless of how “wholesome” it is.
    Everyone can distinguish between the conduct of individuals and the purpose of an organization. Should the government not provide funding for highways and bridges because of all the corruption in contracting?

  • YoYo Mama says:

    Are you kidding? Fame has nothing to do with talent!

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