Placido Domingo honored in Spain after harassment allegations

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo speaks after receiving the “Honorary World Heritage Ambassador of Spain” award during a ceremony at Royal Theatre in Madrid, Spain, June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

MADRID — Spanish opera star Placido Domingo was honored with an award at Madrid’s Teatro Real on Thursday, a day after receiving a standing ovation for his first performance in his home country since a union said he had routinely harassed women.

Spain last year cancelled planned performances by Domingo at publicly funded theaters, while the singer pulled out of shows after an investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists concluded he had behaved inappropriately with female performers.

More than three dozen singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff said they witnessed or experienced inappropriate behaviour over the last three decades.

U.S. institutions including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the San Francisco Opera cancelled planned engagements with Domingo and he resigned as general director of the Los Angeles Opera.

Domingo has apologized for having made colleagues feel uncomfortable but denies having behaved aggressively or acting to obstruct any fellow performer’s career. A representative for Domingo said the singer “has never been investigated or tried by any court or other institutional investigative body on any charge.”

His return to Madrid on Wednesday for a charity concert in aid of the Red Cross drew a huge crowd, including regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who said it was a “source of pride” to have the singer back in Spain.

Arriving at the ceremony, in which he was awarded the title of honorary ambassador for world heritage in Spain, Domingo spoke of the pride he felt to be back and the thrill of the previous day’s show.

“I feel great emotion, it’s my city, the great city of Madrid. … After singing last night … it was such a special night I feel I have all the strength.”

Fans outside the concert defended Domingo’s legacy.

“We love him and we follow him almost anywhere. … We love him as a person as an artist as a singer,” said Wilda from South Germany, who travels the world attending his concerts.

Equality Minister Irene Montero, a leading figure in the feminist movement in Spain, criticised those who had applauded the singer.

“I would like them to ask themselves what message they are sending to these women and to those who are sexually assaulted every day in our country,” Montero tweeted.

Neither the Red Cross, nor the Association for the Dissemination and Promotion of Spanish World Heritage, which organized the award ceremony, could be reached for comment.

According to his website, he is due to sing or conduct in France, Germany, Italy and Russia this year, among other countries, but no U.S. venues are listed.