Dutch National Opera Releases Statement Admitting Misconduct During ‘Fidelio’ Production

By Francisco Salazar

The Dutch National Opera has released a statement regarding an article by Parool on its Guest Director of “Fidelio.”

The company said, “On Saturday, 26 October, Het Parool published an article about the behavior of guest director, Andriy Zholdak, during the production period of the opera ‘Fidelio’ at the Dutch National Opera. Several important aspects were insufficiently addressed in this article. We therefore provide further clarification below.”

The company went on to say “During the production period of ‘Fidelio,’ there was indeed unacceptable and inappropriate behavior and misconduct by guest director Andriy Zholdak. This included impulsive, unreasonable, inconsistent, and/or intimidating behavior, as well as physical contact during rehearsals without prior consent. We acknowledged this and took appropriate action. Zholdak was not employed by Dutch National Opera but was hired solely as a guest director for the production of ‘Fidelio.’ The rehearsal period lasted approximately seven weeks, concluding with the premiere on 5 June 2024. This was our first, and now our last, collaboration with him; Zholdak will not be invited back for future collaborations with us.”

The company added that it had taken action noting that “Zholdak was repeatedly addressed by our staff regarding his problematic approach and inappropriate behavior. Despite these warnings, his behavior persisted. An incident also occurred during an ensemble rehearsal: while demonstrating a scene to an extra, in the presence of other artists and staff, he touched her hip/buttocks without seeking prior consent as required by our protocol. The extra subsequently filed a formal report of misconduct.”

The Dutch National Opera noted that after the incident, it denied Zholdak access to the theatre and provided a space to hold discussions with all principal cast members, extras, and directly involved production staff.

Following the incident Zholdak was informed that continuing the “rehearsal process would only be possible under strict conditions: he could no longer directly rehearse with singers and extras, could only relay instructions through the assistant director, and, a member of the direction team had to be present at all rehearsals. Additionally, we required that he apologize to the artists and directly involved production staff for his behavior. The director accepted these conditions. Had he not done so, we would have stopped the production process and canceled the ‘Fidelio.'”

The opera house also noted that rehearsals resumed under the conditions that the artists wanted the production to be premiered. However, one artist, the aforementioned extra, held a different view and withdrew from the production.

The company also began an extensive investigation in response to the complaint but once he extra withdrew her cooperation, the Dutch National Opera did not proceed. The extra was given immediate support and provided full financial compensation.

The company concluded its statement with an apology and noted that it “regretted that some artists and staff members felt unsafe or uncomfortable in this production due to Zholdak’s rehearsal methods and approach. His methods and communication style do not align with the way we operate at Dutch National Opera.”

When the production opened in June, it received poor reviews with Bachtrack stating, “I found myself wondering if the black hole might have a bar.”

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