Sir John Elliot Gardiner has been accused of inappropriate behavior at the Leipzig Bach Festival.

The company released a statement in which it stated, “On 16 June, at the end of a concert as part of the Bachfest, an incident occurred in which a conductor behaved inappropriately towards a member of our events team. The situation took place whilst the audience was applauding in the gallery of St Thomas’s Church. Once the incident came to light, discussions were held with the person concerned and psychological support was offered. The conductor has apologised to her and acknowledged his misconduct.”

It added, “In a team meeting called at short notice, Director Peter Wollny and Artistic Director Michael Maul identified and condemned the misconduct. The Board will assess the incident with due care once the Bach Festival has concluded and will put in place further measures to ensure a safe working environment.”

In a statement later released by Gardiner, he said, “I am shocked and bewildered by the suggestion of a sexual assault, or indeed an assault of any kind, and categorically deny any took place. This is what actually happened at the end of the concert and there is clear video evidence to support this. As the musicians were receiving an ovation, I was taken completely by surprise by a tap on the shoulder. I had not been forewarned that a presentation was planned so in the moment I did not understand what was being handed to me or what was expected of me. I was confused and simply tried to return the scroll. Her hands were full so I placed the scroll behind her neckchain then she went on to hand scrolls to several of the soloists. Had I been told in advance that I would be presented with a commemorative scroll containing seeds of trees dedicated to Bach I would have been delighted to receive it and indeed to plant the seeds at my home in England where I have several acres of woodland.”

He added, “When it was later drawn to my attention that the person who’d approached me had been upset by what happened I asked to meet her to apologize. I am entirely clear that this was all an unfortunate misunderstanding. This has been confirmed by several of the musicians who were there at the time and saw precisely what occurred. Nevertheless, I deeply regret any distress inadvertently caused and have apologized personally.'”

The news comes following an incident in 2023 when Gardiner withdrew from his 2023 engagements after having assaulted bass William Thomas following the first act of “Les Troyens” at the Berlioz Festival. The conductor apologized for his actions.