Eight singers and a dancer are accusing the Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo of sexual harassment. According to the testimonies of the nine alleged victims, Domingo, known as one of the most important figures in the opera's history, touched them in private parts and kissed them on the lips.
According to the Associated Press, the mezzo-soprano Patricia Wulf, and the other alleged victims who did not want to identify themselves publicly, testified that in the early eighties, the singer and actor pressured them to have sex with him, getting to punish professionally those who refused. “A business lunch is not strange,” said one
of the singers. “Somebody trying to hold your hand during a business lunch is strange — or putting their hand on your knee is a little strange. He was always touching you
in some way, and always kissing you.”
In response to the accusations, the tenor has said that the statements are painful to hear.
“Still, it is painful to hear that I may have upset anyone or made them feel uncomfortable — no matter how long ago and despite my best intentions. I believed that all of my interactions and relationships
were always welcomed and consensual. People who know me or who have worked with me know that I am not someone who would intentionally harm, offend, or embarrass anyone," he said. "However, I recognize that the rules and standards by which we are — and should
be — measured against today
are very different than they were in the past. I am blessed and privileged to have had
a more than 50-year career in opera and will hold myself to the highest standards.”
According to EL Pais, the plaintiffs said the 78-year-old singer's actions
were
described as an "open secret" in the world of opera.
Apart from these nine testimonies, another half-dozen women reported that Domingo made them uncomfortable propositions. Among them, an unidentified woman said that the singer insistently asked her to go out with him after he had hired her for concerts in the 1990s.
Two of the women who accuse the tenor admitted having accepted their proposals because they felt they couldn't say no to the most powerful man in the business. One of them reported that she slept with Domingo twice and revealed that when Domingo left the hotel room, he left her $10 with a note that read: “I don't want you to feel like a prostitute, but I also don't want you to have to pay for parking.”
Many of these women
report that
they were
warned to never be alone with Domingo, even in an elevator.
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