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The sparkling production was a highlight of the 1999-2000 Washington Opera season: Jules Massenet's Cid about a legendary Spanish conqueror, played by a legendary tenor, Placido Domingo, then artistic director of the company .
The opera, also filmed for public television, was undoubtedly a career break for the 28-year-old singer Angela Turner Wilson, who had been chosen to be the second leading actress and was due to perform. object of rave reviews. "I knew it was the beginning of great things for me," she says now.
But one night before a show, she said, she and Domingo were doing makeup together when he got up from his chair, stood behind her and put her hands on his shoulders. As she looked at him in the mirror, he suddenly slid his hands under the straps of her bra, she said, then stooped into her dress and grabbed her bare chest.
"It hurts," she told The Associated Press. "It was not sweet. He patted me very hard. She said that Domingo later returned and moved away, leaving her stunned and humiliated.
Wilson, 48, a singing teacher in the Dallas area, is one of 11 women to come forward after a story on August 13 in which many women have accused the long-time Spanish superstar , sexual harassment or sexually abusive. accused behavior and sometimes hurt their career if they rejected it.
In the weeks following this story, the women told new stories about their meeting with Domingo, currently managing director of Los Angeles Opera, which included unwanted touching and persistent requests for private meetings, phone calls tardies and sudden attempts to kiss them on the lips.
Several other behind-the-scenes staff told AP how they tried to protect young women from the spotlight while administrators looked elsewhere.
Together, their stories reinforce the image of an industry in which Domingo's behavior was an open secret and in which young women were left to fend for themselves.
Domingo's spokeswoman issued a statement challenging the allegations, but did not provide any details.
"The ongoing campaign by the PA to denigrate Placido Domingo is not only inaccurate, but unethical. These new claims are tainted with inconsistencies and, just like the first story, in many ways they are simply incorrect, "said spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer. "Due to an ongoing investigation, we will not comment on the details, but we strongly contest the misleading picture that the PA is trying to portray of Mr. Domingo."
Wilson said she was prompted to come forward after 78-year-old Domingo's reaction to the PA's first story, in which he claimed that his actions "were always welcomed and consensual. "adding that" the rules and standards that govern – and should be – measured today are very different from what they were in the past. "
Wilson rejects the idea that such behavior has always been acceptable.
"What woman would want him to catch their chest? And it hurts, she says. "Then I had to go on stage and act as if I were in love with him."
Melinda McLain, LA Opera's production coordinator for her inaugural season from 1986 to 1987 and also worked at the Houston Grand Opera with Domingo, told AP that she wanted to avoid putting Domingo in movie theaters. rehearsal with young singers. even though he specifically asked for it and also tried to provide him with male dressings.
"We created these elaborate diagrams to keep it away from some singers," McLain said. "I would never have sent a woman of any kind into her dressing room.
McLain added that another strategy was to invite Domingo's wife, Marta, to attend company parties "because if Marta is there, he behaves well."
Several people who have worked in the costume department of LA Opera, where Domingo has held various positions since the 1980s, have stated that his behind-the-scenes behavior was well known and that management had been aware of this for years. An employee stated that her colleagues had tried to prevent women from interfering with Domingo as recently as the 2016-2017 season.
"My supervisor told me that they avoided appealing to an attractive young woman because of her behavior," said an employee who requested anonymity because she was always in the opera industry and fears repercussions. She said Domingo was known for "getting too close, kissing, kissing, touching and being physically affectionate".
Another employee in the suit described how to narrowly avoid a wet kiss on Domingo's lips by turning his head at the last minute so that it lands on the side of his mouth. She said that she had informed a supervisor who had told her to avoid staying alone with Domingo.
The need for women to develop their own avoidance strategies just to get their job is a classic example of a sexually hostile work environment, a key legal component of sexual harassment, the experts note.
The LA Opera has hired an outside lawyer to investigate the allegations contained in the initial AP story.
Wilson was the only new accuser to have spoken to the PA. Others asked to remain anonymous because they are still working in the area and feared recriminations in a world long dominated by Domingo and other powerful men.
An established soprano said she feared not only for herself, but for her husband, who also works at the opera house. Others have said they want to protect an art form that is struggling to remain relevant in the United States. Others said that the overwhelming support for Domingo in Europe – and skepticism about the accusations against women – made them more fearful.
According to several singers and other industry professionals, Domingo's behind-the-scenes discussions were an open topic of discussion.
A former staff member at the Los Angeles Opera said that once Domingo had leaned against a wall, she had taken his hand and whispered to him in the ear while his boss looked at him awkwardly. Someone should have told Domingo that it was inappropriate, she said, "but it should not be the girl in the hall wearing a helmet trying to do her job."
The employee said that the wardrobe staff had made a joke about spraying female singers "with a tenor spray, such as an insect repellent, to keep the tenors away".
Some of the women told AP that the avoidance strategies included asking Domingo to distract him from his grandchild, laughing awkwardly and pretending that they did not understand very well. when he had asked them for their phone numbers or suggested to meet somewhere.
Baritone Robert Gardner was surprised that the star's behavior was not made public earlier "given his reputation in the industry."
Gardner contacted AP to tell him that he had witnessed Domingo's behavior with mezzo-soprano Patricia Wulf, who was previously the only accuser to accept his name. Wulf worked with Domingo and Gardner in 1998 at Washington Opera, where the legend also served as general manager, and the baritone confirmed that the star was proposing it persistently.
"I saw her position herself and maneuver around the rehearsal rooms and in the hallway to get close to her, and she clearly avoided it," Gardner said.
Wulf told AP that Domingo was going to confront her night after night when they were playing together with the same question in a low voice, very close to her face: "Patricia, do you have to go home tonight?"
Although she has been eagerly trying to avoid it, she stated that her pursuit apparently had no limits and that she was afraid to leave her dressing room if it was in the corridor. Although Domingo did not physically touch her, she added that her intentions could not be confused.
Wulf and Angela Turner Wilson both stated that they had not reported the behavior of the star to management, fearing they would not believe them and that they would be the ones who would be penalized.
Wilson told AP that she was aware of Domingo's reputation as early as her third season at the Washington Opera, but wanted to believe that her interest was professional when it started. to singling her off in the fall of 1999. She stated that he would stay by her side during the rehearsal breaks. "The Cid" and talk to him, telling him "I love you, Angela." But it soon became clear that her interest was not just for her to sing, she said.
There were many invitations, Wilson said, coming to his apartment to watch a video of the role he wanted to blackmail. Just go for dinner just the two of them.
"I would say" No, maestro. " I have often said it. I told myself that if I put 'maestro' on it, it would always be respectful, "she said.
"I stuck to no." No, I will not meet you. No, I will not accompany you to your apartment. No no no."
Shortly after the start of performances, on October 30, she stated that he had come into his dressing room and that he was entering without knocking on the door, telling him that he wished to wish him a good show. Then, she added, "I need a kiss. It's a demanding role. I need a kiss to have strength. "
Wilson said that she refused, reminding her again that she was married, but he kept insisting.
"I remember thinking," I have to go to the door, "she said. "I started opening the door and he slammed the door with his foot and hand and kept his hand on the door.He said," I need this kiss. "And he did not let me out."
"I said, I'm going to get you a deal. You can kiss my cheek Then he kissed me on the cheek. And then he left. And it's so scary. I went back to my hairdresser and was shaking. I remember thinking, "Now I have problems. How will I handle it now? & # 39;
For the rest of the race, she said, "I would lock the door of my dressing room. My dresser would tell me if it was outside. She would tell me if he was in the lobby and he was safe.
Later in the November series, Wilson said she had to wear makeup alongside Domingo, which "seemed strange to me. … usually, big stars, especially headliners, wear makeup in their closets. But she was reassured by the fact that the makeup artist was also present and that the door to the room was open.
She said that when Domingo put his hands on his shoulders, it just seemed friendly.
"I did not think I was in danger," she said. "We had a friendly conversation. … He has just come out of nowhere. It was not like he complimented me or seduced me or anything, where I thought I needed to be on his guard. "
She said that after catching her breast, she screamed in pain and asked the makeup artist: "Have you seen it?" Reached by the AP, the makeup artist said that he did not remember the incident and did not want to comment further on the recording.
She said that she had called her husband and her parents that night – and also the night he had been trying to kiss her – and that she had confirmed to the PA that She was upset and in tears when she had told him what had happened.
Wilson provided the AP with copies of a journal she had kept at the time and which mentioned the rehearsals of "The Cid" which had started on October 4, 1999. In a entering a month later, she wrote that Domingo "repeatedly told me how happy he was with my singing," but also "he's hitting on me all the time." She added, "S & D Please, God does not let it get worse. "
The following season, she stated that she had three roles, but that Domingo had barely spoken to her or recognized her.
Although she won the prestigious Artist of the Year award that year, in 2000, she said the Washington Opera never hired her again, which she attributes to her interactions with Domingo.
"Anyone who gets the" singer of the year "in this company or in another company sees it as a ticket for a relationship with that company," she said. "It means that you have done a good job and that you deserve to come back. This is not usually a goodbye.
His career lasted another decade before being devoted mainly to teaching. She has sung three seasons at New York City Opera and other venues across the country, including the Dallas Opera and the Boston Lyric Opera. She also participated in a state dinner at the White House under the Clinton administration and at the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
A number of women who have criticized Domingo's behavior have also expressed a lingering admiration for the star, calling him a charismatic and generous, with the gift of remembering the name of each and one who has made a contribution indelible to the industry.
Wilson said she realized that it was difficult for many of her legions of fans to understand her stories of aggressive sexual assault.
"As a fan, it would be difficult to justify or rationalize the fact that such a charming and generous person could be that person," she said.
For years, Wilson said she was silent about her experiences with Domingo "because I thought no one else would say anything.
"I know that if I miss this opportunity and move on silently, I will feel 20 times worse," she said. "It's a heavy burden to carry in your life. And whenever a new #MeToo story is published, I go to a dark place and I have enough. "
She added that she had also demonstrated for the sake of young women that she now teaches at the presidency of a university singing department.
"The music and the arts are so wonderful," she said, "and I hope the company can at least have the integrity to give these young women a chance to succeed."
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Contact Jocelyn Gecker's Associate Editor via Twitter: https://twitter.com/jgecker
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