The Fisher Center at Bard College performing arts staff have published an open letter to the College’s Board of Trustees and Transition Committee demanding that the College not rehire ousted President and Epstein associate Leon Botstein. In the letter the staff members expressed their “deep concern regarding leadership decisions at Bard College that have had a significant impact on our {…}
Leon Botstein has announced he is stepping down from the helm of Bard College. The news comes after Bard College did an independent review regarding the conductor and teacher’s contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. According to the Guardian the review found that “the college president’s frequent interactions with the convicted sex offender ‘could have alerted’ him to the possibility that he {…}
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) is set to perform its final concert on may 12 at Carnegie Hall. The all-Richard Strauss program will be conducted by Music Director Leon Botstein. The evening includes Strauss’s “Alpine Symphony,” which has an immense score that features Members of the Bard Festival Chorale, led by James Bagwell, and the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra alongside The {…}
Bard College has opened up an investigation into Leon Botstein’s ties to Epstein. The Guardian is reporting that the college’s board of trustees retained the outside law firm of WilmerHale to conduct an independent investigation of the “full scope of these communications,” financial contributions connected to Epstein, and any related matters. The board also noted that once the investigation was {…}
The Bard College board of trustees has allegedly called an emergency meeting following the revelation that Leon Botstein was in frequent contact with Jeffrey Epstein. The Mid Hudson News is reporting that meeting was held on Feb. 16 and was about the Epstein files. While Botstein has not been accused of any wrongdoing, students have condemned Botstein for engaging with {…}
Newly reviewed emails from the Jeffrey Epstein Files are indicating that Leon Botstein was aware of previous allegations against Epstein. According to an email uncovered by the Times Union on Jan. 4, 2015, Botstein offered Epstein words of condolences a day after The Guardian published a story about Epstein’s ties to then-Prince Andrew. The email read, “When I sent you {…}
(Credit: Ric Kallaher) Following the release of 3.5 million Epstein files, it was revealed that conductor Leon Botstein was in contact with the child sex offender, serial rapist, and human trafficker across numerous email communications. According to a search from OperaWire, Botstein appears in 1000s of emails regarding meetings with Epstein that trace back 2012, years after Epstein had pleaded {…}
Many who visit OperaWire regularly have their various interests in what one might call, operatic “rarities”–works that have achieved, to an extent, legendary status despite being seldom staged. As an avid lover of Hector Berlioz’s archetypal romantic career, I devoured both the Barzun and Cairns biographies of the composer more than once. And such a rarity mentioned was Spontini’s “La {…}
(Photo credit: Jiyang Chen / Daniel Welch) Bard Summerscape’s hotly anticipated production of “Dalibor” is just one week away. Opening on July 25, 2025 and running through August 3, the Smetana opera, which had its world premiere in 1868 in Prague, will be receiving its first fully-staged American production. The opera follows the story of the eponymous knight who is {…}
(Photo: Matt Dine) On June 6, 2025, Carnegie Hall hosted the American Symphony Orchestra’s concert revival of Richard Strauss’s first opera, “Guntram.” Rarely mentioned alongside “Salomé” or “Der Rosenkavalier,” “Guntram” reveals a young composer grappling with grand ideas. Strauss stumbled, learned, and went on to compose a total of fourteen operas. Audiences can hear Wagner in nearly every bar of {…}
The American Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a breakdown of the vocal performances on offer. Leon Botstein conducts music by C.P.E. Bach, including the U.S. premiere of “Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu,” H. 777. The program features the Bard Festival Chorale. Soloists include Leah Wool, Mei Gui Zhang, Terrence Chin-Loy, and Troy Cook. Performance Date: Jan. 24, {…}