(Credit: Pedro Walter)

The Governing Council of the Junta de Extremadura has decided to censor Plácido Domingo’s performance at the sixth edition of the Stone & Music Festival de Mérida, Spain and has decided that the Extremadura Orchestra Foundation will not perform with the famed singer.

The decision was made when it was announced on Friday, July 16, that Domingo would close the 2021 edition of the festival on Sept. 25 at the Roman Theater in Mérida. As a result of this concert, the Governing Council has decided that from this moment on, the programming of any concert, festival, or event that is sponsored by the regional Administration must be previously approved.

The concert would have showcased Domingo in operatic and Zarzuela repertoire and would have marked the singer’s first appearance in Merida since 1991.

Per several sources, including Spain News and Telle Reports, the Junta de Extremadura, in a note, expressed “its rejection of the performance of Plácido Domingo within the program of said festival.” The decision came one day after Irene de Miguel, the spokesperson in the Assembly of the United for Extremadura group, publicly commended on the announcement, stating that it was “embarrassing and regrettable” that the Board had used public funds to support an event featuring “a person denounced by numerous women as a sexual harasser.”

In August 2019,  the AP News reported that several women had accused Domingo of sexual harassment. Domingo was promptly investigated by AGMA which found Domingo guilty of sexual misconduct. As a result, several Spanish arts institutions initially broke ties with Domingo. However, as recently as June, the Spanish singer was invited to return to perform in his homeland for a Benefit Gala. He was also awarded the title of “Honorary Ambassador of the World Heritage of Spain” by the Association for the Diffusion and Promotion of the World Heritage of Spain (ADIPROPE). Domingo is also set for a performance at the festival Starlite de Marbella.