Allegations of sexual harassment have surfaced at the Bayreuth Festival days before the opening of the season.

The Bavarian daily Nordbayerischer Kurier reported the news revealing physical assaults on women, insults, and sexist remarks. Among the women who spoke out was festival director, Katharina Wagner who confirmed that she had been touched on the breast.

Other female employees told the paper that they had been touched on the buttocks without consent.

The Festival spokesperson Hubertus Herrmann told the German press that management is “very troubled and actually surprised since no information is known internally about possible assaults.”

Hermann added, that there would an immediate investigation and asked “anyone affected to contact the management directly.”

The Bayreuth Festival begins July 25 with a new production of “Tristan und Isolde.”