The baritone faces new accusations of sexual harassment from a Spanish singer on a television show that aired three years after similar allegations.
Singers, dancers, musicians, singing teachers and technicians: a total of around thirty have declared, as part of an investigation carried out in 2020, to be victims or witnesses of the inappropriate behavior of Placido Domingo over a period of 30 years. While he apologized for his actions, the opera singer did not admit to wrongdoing.
The last charge dates from Sunday, January 16. It comes from La Sexta, an anonymous singer from the Spanish television channel. Appearing as a dark figure, she said Domingo asked her to touch her at a theater in Spain in the early 2000s. On another occasion, he tried to kiss her, he said. she says.
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“One of the first things you are told is not to get in the elevator alone with Placido Domingo”, she said. The singer told how Placido Domingo allegedly asked to touch her after a rehearsal. “The first time I felt any discomfort was while we were rehearsing. He said to me in front of everyone: ‘Listen, can I put my hand in one of your beautiful pockets’. I wore pants with an embroidered back pocket”she says.
“I had a stomach ache because I wondered what I could say to him: if I say no to him, there will be consequences and if I say yes to him, I don’t even want to think about it.” The singer clarified that she had not denounced Placido Domingo either to his bosses or to the authorities. “He is untouchable. He shouldn’t be, but I’m in the shadows.”she added.
Cancellation of his performances
Representatives for Placido Domingo did not respond to a request for comment. The 2020 investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) concluded that Domingo had behaved inappropriately. At the time, Placido Domingo said he respected women’s decision to speak out and was “sincerely sorry for the harm I have caused them.”
The findings prompted Spain to cancel scheduled performances of the tenor-turned-baritone at publicly funded theaters. American institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the San Francisco Opera, have also canceled scheduled engagements. Placido Domingo has resigned as general manager of the Los Angeles Opera, whose own investigation concluded that ten allegations against him were “credible”.
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None of these allegations gave rise to criminal proceedings. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo in January 2022, the baritone denied harassing anyone and said he felt he had been condemned by the court of public opinion because he had not spoken.
The AGMA investigation was partial, he said, and contained few hard facts. Placido Domingo returned to Spain to take part in a charity concert in June, after an absence of almost a year and a half, and performed in other countries.
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