Spain's culture ministry canceled Wednesday opera star Placido Domingo’s upcoming Madrid shows, in solidarity with the women who took a stand against his sexual harassment and accused him of misconduct.
The National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM), an autonomous body of the Ministry, said it had called off Domingo's participation in two performances of "Luisa Fernanda", a Spanish "zarzuela" or operetta, which was scheduled for May (14-15) "in solidarity with the affected women".
This was the first time that performance by Domingo to be canceled in his native Spain after the accusations of sexual misconduct leveled by several women in the classical music world that dated back at least 1980s.
More than three dozen singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers, and backstage staff have reported that they witnessed or experienced inappropriate behavior by the singer towards women at different opera houses over the last three decades.
This comes a day after he announced that he “accepts full responsibility" in a sexual harassment scandal.
The accusations first began to surface in August and two months later, Domingo stepped down as general director of the Los Angeles Opera; so far, Domingo's career, which spanned for over five decades, has been less affected by the scandal in Europe than in the United States.
Furthermore, Domingo withdrew from all future performances at New York's Metropolitan Opera, effectively ending his career in the US.
In a statement to the Spanish news agency Europa Press, the Opera singer apologized Tuesday to the women who accused him of sexual harassment for the “pain” he caused them and accepted “full responsibility”.
Domingo, who originally disputed the accusations against him, told the news agency that had analyzed the accusations since they first emerged in August and has grown up with the experience and now understood that some of the women who accused him were afraid to express how they felt as they were worried over how that could affect their career.
“Even though it was not (my) intention, never ever anybody should feel this way,” Domingo added.
Follow the latest news on Google News
