NEW YORK (AP) The Metropolitan Opera announced Tuesday that Plácido Domingo had agreed to withdraw from his slate of scheduled performances at the opera house following allegations of sexual harassment made by multiple women in two Associated Press stories. The opera legend indicated that he would never again perform at the Met.
Domingo had been scheduled to sing the title role in the season premiere of Verdi's "Macbeth" on Wednesday night, which would have been his first performance in the United States since the AP report.
The Met had been under increasing pressure to cancel his appearances, but general manager Peter Gelb reiterated to performers after a dress rehearsal Saturday that the opera house was awaiting results of investigations by the LA Opera, where Domingo has been general director since 2003, and the American Guild of Musical Artists, the union that represents various opera staff.
Domingo, who had sung in rehearsals, issued a statement saying his Met career was over after what the company said was 706 performances as a singer, plus 169 as a conductor.
In its statement, the Met said the long-married, Spanish-born superstar had "agreed to withdraw from all future performances at the Met, effective immediately."
Domingo made his Met debut in September 1968 and is known to many beyond opera for his performances as part of The Three Tenors with Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras.
Pictures: 1. Richard Drew 2. Stephen Chernin AP file photo
