Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra music director Manfred Honeck has been selected by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam as one of four replacement conductors for the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
The Concertgebouw, considered one of the finest orchestras in the world, dismissed its chief conductor, Daniele Gatti, after the Washington Post published allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior in July.
“These accusations and Gatti’s reactions with this respect have caused a lot of commotion among both musicians and staff, as well as stakeholders both at home and abroad,” the orchestra said in a statement Friday.
The orchestra said that after the article was published July 26, several female colleagues reported inappropriate experiences with Mr. Gatti. “This has irreparably damaged the relationship of trust between the orchestra and its chief conductor.”
Mr. Honeck, who led the Concertgebouw in 2004 and 2016, will conduct the orchestra on Aug. 23 and Sept. 3-5 in programs featuring Webern, Wagner, Berg and Bruckner. The other replacement conductors are Bernard Haitink, Kerem Hasan and Thomas Hengelbrock.
The Washington Post article also reported allegations against William Preucil, concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra. Mr. Preucil has been suspended from his position with the orchestra, and he has resigned his teaching post at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
In the past year, more than a dozen prominent figures in classical music have come under scrutiny due to allegations of sexual misconduct, beginning with James Levine, the former conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, who was fired due to similar allegations.
Jeremy Reynolds: jreynolds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1634; twitter: @Reynolds_PG. Mr. Reynolds' work at the Post-Gazette is supported by a grant from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Getty Foundation and Rubin Institute.
CORRECTION, Aug. 17, 2018: The employment status of William Preucil, concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra, was incorrectly stated in an earlier version of this story. He has been suspended from his position.
First Published: August 13, 2018, 4:24 p.m.
