Christina Scheppelmann, the new Artistic Director of the Seattle Opera, has chimed in on the Plácido Domingo situation.

According to Catalan newsite El Periódico, Scheppelmann worked closely with Domingo between 2001 and 2012 at the Washington National Opera when she was the company’s artistic director.

“If any employee [in Washington] would have stated that Plácido was harassing her, action would have been taken immediately,” she stated. “I have proof that it would have been this way. There was a tenor that was after a chorus member. She was a married woman and she got so sick of his actions that she came to me and told me. I talked to the harasser and the problem was resolved.

“I don’t care about having a confrontation if I am told what happens or if I am a witness to what was happening. The same happened at the San Francisco Opera with a conductor. I talked to him and the problem was over.”

Moreover, she noted that while Domingo collaborated on casting decisions when they worked together in Washington, she ultimately made the decisions based on professional criteria. She even noted that Domingo never told her to pick one singer over another during their conversations.

Finally, Scheppelmann, who stated that she was also a victim of harassment, noted that there are cultural differences between the United States and Europe, especially with regards to the concept of “innocent until proven guilty.”

“In [the United States], the presumption of innocence is not a strong as it is in Europe,” she stated before emphasizing that women need to come forward the moment they are facing a challenging situation. “Theater directors have the resources to stop this kind of behavior, but we can only react when there is an accusation or if there is a witness to the inappropriate conduct.”