Music Director Julian Wachner Accused of Sexual Assault

By Francisco Salazar

Julian Wachner has been accused of sexually assaulting a Juilliard employee in 2014.

The New York Times is reporting that the renowned conductor, composer, and keyboardist was accused by former Juilliard employee, Mary Poole, of sexual assault.

In an interview with the Times, Poole noted that during a music festival in 2014, “Wachner pushed her against a wall, groped her and kissed her.” According to Poole, Wachner ignored her demands to stop.

Poole immediately reported the incident to Juilliard and the school vowed not to hire Wachner again. At the time, the school said it was “unacceptable conduct” and recently issued a statement noting, “Sexual misconduct or discrimination are not tolerated at Juilliard, and we take all allegations very seriously. At the time we offered our full support to Ms. Poole and informed Mr. Wachner that he would not be invited back to Juilliard in the future. Since that time we have had no relationship with Mr. Wachner.”

In response to the accusation, Trinity Wall Street, where Wachner is Music Director has placed him on leave. The church said, “Julian was placed on administrative leave on March 1 and will remain on leave during the investigation. Trinity takes these allegations very seriously.”

According to the New York Times, the Church found out about the allegations through social media when Poole posted an account of her encounter and said, “I was totally violated.”

In response to Trinty Wall Street, Wachner’s attorney said, “We respect Trinity’s decision to conduct a thorough investigation. Ms. Poole’s outrageous allegations are categorically false and my client looks forward to the matter being resolved. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.”

Wachner has served as Music Director for Trinity Wall Street for 11 years. He was recently shortlisted for Artistic Director of the Oregon Bach Festival.

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