![Carlos Kalmar Kalmar](https://operawire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/download-300x169.webp)
Grant Park Music Festival to Move Forward with Carlos Kalmar Following Allegations of Harassment in Cleveland
By Francisco SalazarThe Grant Park Music Festival is set to move forward with Carlos Kalmar as its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor following allegations of Sexual misconduct at the Cleveland Music Institute.
In a letter to the orchestra and orchestra, President & CEO Paul Winberg said, “I’m writing with an update to my May 2nd e-mail regarding the unspecified allegations of misconduct involving Carlos Kalmar in his role as Director of Orchestral Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. We have since learned that an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Cleveland Institute of Music, which has included numerous interviews and a review of hundreds of written student evaluations, has thus far not found evidence that Carlos Kalmar engaged in any harassment.”
He continued, “We further understand that due to the inappropriate and potentially unlawful public disclosure of the allegation and Title IX investigation, the Cleveland Institute of Music immediately removed their Title IX officer for violating their own procedures. We take great pride in upholding the highest standards of conduct to ensure a safe and productive work environment for all members of our organization. We also value fairness to all parties and take action based on facts rather than unwarranted speculation. Considering everything we have learned to date, we plan to move forward with Carlos Kalmar continuing as our Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for the upcoming season.”
The letter comes weeks after the Cleveland Institute of Music began investigating Kalmar following allegations from a student that the professor behaved inappropriately. The school also asked students to come forward if they have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment by Kalmar, principal conductor and director of orchestral studies and the conducting program.
The investigation led to music critic and social activist Anne Midgette declining her honorary doctorate at the institute. She went on to say that CIM did not work in the best interests of the students nor the faculty.
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