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Five female artists in an open letter made serious allegations against the conductor, founder and artistic director of the Tyrolean Erl Festival, Gustav Kuhn. "We are directly concerned, witnesses or connoisseurs of the fact that in our time there has been continuous abuse of power and sexual assault by the artistic director," they wrote in the letter published Wednesday.
Among the signatories are soprano Bettine Kampp and mezzo-soprano Julia Oesch of Germany, violinists Aliona Dargel of Belarus and Ninela Lamaj of Albania, and Swiss soprano Mona Somm. The women who worked at Erl between 1998 and 2017 speak of harassment, humiliation and retaliation. Some of them were themselves affected by "unwanted kisses on the mouth or chest, fumbling under the sweater, caught between the legs, etc., not to mention an obscene verbal attestation. "
Kuhn rejected the allegations. His lawyer, former Justice Minister Michael Krüger, said in a statement that his client will be able to defend himself against this "hunt" through the rule of law. Culture Minister Gernot Blümel and Tyrolean Agricultural Councilor Beate Palfrader (both ÖVP) have called on the management for transparency and education. The Innsbruck prosecutor checks a hint, as one spokesman said.
A blogger reported in February allegedly unsustainable conditions with mediocre salary and a fearful terror and possible sexual assault on Erl. Kuhn continued. The musicians expressed in their letter to festival president Hans Peter Haselsteiner, indignant that despite the allegations, no consequences have been drawn.
Kuhn founded the Tiroler Festspiele Erl in 1997. Since 2005, Haselsteiner has been its chairman. Together, they opened the new Erler Festspielhaus in 2012.
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