A former Roman Catholic high-school choir director in Ohio has been indicted by a grand jury on 13 sex charges.

Zachary R. Ruppel, 27, faces trial for compelling prostitution, importuning and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and on 10 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor.

Ruppel was choir director at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus from 2010 until June this year.

The Catholic Diocese of Columbus issued this statement: “St. Francis DeSales High School and the Office of Catholic Schools has cooperated fully with law enforcement during the course of their investigation of Zachary Ruppel, and school administration has reached out to student, parents, and teachers to come forward with any information that may be pertinent to this investigation. “

We have been informed of the death of Frau Professor Ira Hartmann-Dressler, one of the most highly regarded voice teachers in Europe. No further details or image presently available.

We reported a few days back the theft of a valuable viola in Brussels. Here’s the outcome:

Hello, It’s Maria Jose Igual. I wrote you few days ago because my viola was stolen in my apartment. And now I’m writing you because I found it today! yes! It’s unbelievable! It seems somebody went to sell it to cash but just on the corner of my street, and they called because they knew it. And there it was, with the two bows! only they took the resin! amazing! I start to believe in miracles…

Hanan Alattar, fast-rising US soprano, marries her heart’s desire, Houson attorney Omar Misleh. Many years of happiness to them.

One of Mandela’s close friends in the 1950s was the Welsh-born pianist Harold Rubens, who moved to South Africa when his prodigy career dried up (he is pictured below as a boy, playing for George Bernard Shaw).

A brother of the novelist Bernice Rubens and the hero of her novel, Madame Sousatzka, Harold became active in anti-apartheid activities. His home became a secret meeting place for Mandela and other leaders of the resistance. When confidential plans were discussed, Harold would sit at the piano and hammer out ffffs so the conversation could not be picked up on secret service microphones.

Albie Sachs recalled: ‘We were meeting in the underground in their cottage in Newlands. We would hear him practising the fourth Beethoven piano concerto, going over it and over and over again while we were doing our secret planning in the room next door. Happily the music was very loud, and if there were any bugs, all the security police would hear would be Beethoven and not us planning resistance to apartheid. Beethoven would have been happy. Such complex and mixed-up feelings in this simple building.’

Harold refused to play before segregated audiences. He returned to London in 1963, taught at the Royal Academy and died in 2010.

He’ll be playing G-major for Nelson right now, bless them.