Metropolitan Opera conductor Levine denies sex allegations
NEW YORK — Longtime Metropolitan Opera conductor James Levine denied allegations of sexual misconduct, saying he wants to resume his work “with full concentration and inspiration.”
“As understandably troubling as the accusations noted in recent press accounts are, they are unfounded,” Levine said Thursday in a statement first published by The New York Times . “As anyone who truly knows me will attest, I have not lived my life as an oppressor or an aggressor.”
The opera suspended Levine on Sunday after the Times published accounts from three accusers who say that Levine sexually abused them when they were teenagers. A fourth accuser later came forward.
The opera appointed Robert J. Cleary, a partner at the Proskauer Rose law firm, to investigate the accusations against Levine as it weighs his future. The company has been naming replacements for his scheduled performances.