Opera union finds legendary singer abused power

Two accusers of the legendary opera singer Placido Domingo came forward on Tuesday to dismiss Domingo's apology following allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Patricia Wulf, a retired opera singer and one of the first people to allege inappropriate behaviour by Domingo said his "consistent denials were really bothersome."

The words "I am truly sorry" have not been uttered often in the #MeToo era.

So when soprano Luz del Alba Rubio woke up on Tuesday to see an apology from opera superstar Placido Domingo, she was in shock.

Rubio stepped forward on Tuesday to add her voice to the women accusing the legendary tenor of sexual harassment and abuse of power.

Domingo's statement came after the US union that represents much of the opera world said its investigators found the opera star and former general director at Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera had behaved inappropriately over the course of two decades.

"I have taken time over the last several months to reflect on the allegations that various colleagues of mine have made against me," Domingo said in a statement issued in connection with the findings.

"I respect that these women finally felt comfortable enough to speak out, and I want them to know that I am truly sorry for the hurt that I caused them. I accept full responsibility for my actions, and I have grown from this experience."

The words marked a stunning reversal from the opera superstar's initial statements, tinged with disbelief at the accusations reported last year by The Associated Press that he sexually harassed multiple women.

"I believed that all of my interactions and relationships were always welcomed and consensual," he said in August.

In September, when the AP reported on more accusations, Domingo called the claims "riddled with inconsistencies and, as with the first story, in many ways, simply incorrect."

The full results of the investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists investigation have not been made public, but people familiar with the findings told the AP that investigators found 27 people who said they were sexually harassed or witnessed inappropriate behavior by Domingo.

As with the accusations made to the AP, the investigation found that the allegations included unsolicited physical touching that ranged from kisses on the mouth to groping, late-night phone calls in which Domingo asked women to come to his residence, and inviting women to go out with him socially with such persistence that some felt they were being stalked.

The investigation, conducted by lawyers from the firm Cozen O'Conner, found the accusations to be credible and showed a clear pattern of abuse of power by Domingo that spanned the 1990s and 2000s, according to the people familiar with its contents.

Rubio said Domingo's apology was deeply appreciated, but also called it clearly the work of lawyers and lacking in conviction.

Rubio said she was in her 20s and singing in Rome in 1999 when Domingo heard her and asked her to come to Washington Opera, where he was the artistic director.

She was excited to land roles in three operas, but said Domingo began calling her constantly, often late at night, and was uncomfortably affectionate, constantly kissing her too close to her lips and touching her.

But he was her childhood idol and the industry's power broker, so when he invited her to his apartment one night to review a video of her singing, she accepted. He began kissing her, she said, and she pushed him away, telling him, "Maestro, I cannot do this. I am not that kind of person."

After that, she said she was never again hired to work at Washington opera and roles he had promised her never materialized.

Singers Patricia Wulf and Angela Turner Wilson, two accusers who related accounts in AP's earlier stories, expressed mixed emotions about Domingo's new statement.

"I sincerely appreciate his apology. I really do," said Wulf, a mezzo-soprano. But she also called on AGMA to stand with his accusers and expel Domingo from its membership.

In a joint statement, Wulf and Wilson said, "An expulsion from the union would signal that the industry is learning from its mistakes and that sexual harassment and abuse -- perpetrated by industry complicity -- will not be tolerated in the future."

Wulf has described repeated, unwanted propositions by Domingo when she sang with him at Washington Opera in 1998. Wilson, a soprano, said that after weeks of pursuing her, Domingo forcefully grabbed her bare breast under her robe in a backstage room at Washington Opera in 1999.

Wulf noted that coming a day after the conviction of Harvey Weinstein, Domingo's apology and admission highlighted the gradations of harassment that can exist in the workplace -- particularly in the entertainment industry.

She and others said they were terrified of being blacklisted or killing their careers if they reported him or rebuffed his advances.

Domingo, 79, addressed that fear in his statement on Tuesday.

"I understand now that some women may have feared expressing themselves honestly because of a concern that their careers would be adversely affected if they did so. While that was never my intention, no one should ever be made to feel that way," he said.

"I am committed to affecting positive change in the opera industry so that no one else has to have that same experience. It is my fervent wish that the result will be a safer place to work for all in the opera industry, and I hope that my example in moving forward will encourage others to follow."