The Teatro Massimo di Palermo has canceled French conductor Frédéric Chaslin’s contract for “Aida” due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

According to a report in “La Repubblica,” issues started to occur in February, when Chaslin arrived in Palermo to conduct a concert dedicated to Beethoven as the orchestra members were uneasy due to Chaslin’s alleged proximity with Epstein.

As a result, superintendent Marco Betta had internal discussions as the orchestra noted that “Aida” would be a longer rehearsal period and that led him to let Chaslin go. According to reports there was no formal contract. 

Chaslin sent a letter to the members of the orchestra explaining his connection with Epstein and denying any wrong doing.

Earlier in February, it was revealed that Chaslin’s name had been in the Epstein files. Those files revealed the conductor to have a relationship with the convicted sex offender that dated back to 2012 and noted that Chaslin and Epstein had conversations regarding the #MeToo movement. The files also revealed that Epstein was also connected to current Santa Fe Opera Board of Directors member Peter Frank who sent an email in 2014 to both Chaslin and Epstein stating, “All is terrific in Santa Fe a very successful musical summer for us here We may be in Paris for a stay next September/Oct What is your schedule then.”

“Aida” opens on May 22 and runs through May 31, 2026. No conductor has been announced.

Here is the complete letter by Chaslin:  

Dear Professors of the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Massimo of Palermo, It is with deep sadness — and I must say, with genuine emotion — that I learned of the final decision of the Management to cancel my participation in the production of ‘Aida.’ What strikes me first of all, beyond any other consideration, is the fact that I will not be able to see
you again. I think first of ‘Faust’ last year, then of Strauss’s ‘Ein Heldenleben,’ and of everything we have already shared together with a rare intensity and quality. And of course, the memory of the February concert remains for me of particular strength: I perceived in you a human quality, a musical generosity and a nobility of commitment that are absolutely exceptional. You are an extraordinary orchestra and chorus, and today I realize how much this encounter has meant to me.” 

I learned with great regret that the decision to cancel was motivated, among other things, by the absence of a signed contract between us. You will understand that such an argument seems frankly weak to me, since in the theatre there are not only contracts: there is also one’s word, trust, and honor. I also understood that, already during the February concert, there was a certain agitation around my name, in connection with the so-called Epstein matter. I believe, however, that you are all aware of the fact that an official letter from the United States Department of Justice, transmitted to my lawyer, certifies under oath — with confirmation from the federal judge in New York in charge of the Epstein files — my total and complete lack of involvement in the facts: I am not the subject of any accusation, nor of any investigation, nor of any proceedings. This document, together with its translation, is attached in the form of screenshots at the end
of this message. As I have explained several times, I met this person four times over eight years, always and exclusively for professional reasons. I was seeking possible support for my operatic projects in the context of my position as Music Director at the Santa Fe Opera. These meetings always took place in the presence of witnesses, for a very limited duration, a few hours at most. I can state clearly that I never received a single cent from him.

I met him through my former fiancée, an American Broadway producer, with whom I lived for ten years in New York, and who had been his partner during their university years. For this reason, I never sought to investigate who he really was: she always spoke of him in positive terms and, when he was convicted in a case of a sexual nature, she gave me a version that, for me, served as ‘Google.’ This was my mistake, not looking further. I was wrong, I
acknowledge it. But love makes one blind, as they say in French. I also learned that some of you were surprised that I would have proposed a translator to accompany him on a visit to the Paris Opera and the Palace of Versailles. In reality, this request came from his secretary, specifying that Mr. Epstein would have preferred a woman in order to balance the group, which included himself and Woody Allen (see the attached photo). I therefore turned to one of my Facebook friends, who was herself a friend of a writer with whom one of my sons was living: a person of great intelligence and culture, in whom I had full trust and whom I would never have exposed to a risky situation. It was she, with more prudence than I, who verified certain information and declined. She never reproached me for this proposal, as shown by the fact that a year later she wrote to me in a very friendly tone. You will find attached the screenshots certified by a bailiff.”

There is also a photograph of that visit, in which several people can clearly be distinguished: it was evidently a cultural visit, and nothing more. I therefore wish to reassure you completely: I have never sent anyone with inappropriate intentions. I would have sent my own daughter without any hesitation, and the facts proved me right: the visit was purely cultural. I must also mention another matter, that of an American soprano living in France. She had an audition with me in 2016, an audition that was not considered satisfactory — something that happens every day in our profession. I too, like each of us, have experienced failures and unsuccessful competitions, without ever accusing anyone. Ten years later, at the time of the explosion of the Epstein case, she decided to accuse me of alleged sexual blackmail, an accusation that I reject with the utmost firmness. I wish to specify that the values of respect and integrity, as well as the notion of consent, have always guided my relationship with women. You may ask your colleagues in Italy and elsewhere: all will confirm that I have never harassed any musician or any chorister. I am deeply attached to fidelity in love. There are also very concrete elements that contradict these accusations: in 2020, several years after the events she now evokes, she was writing to me messages of an extremely friendly tone, even proposing that we meet.

I intend to initiate an action for damages due to the storm that these accusations have caused in my life, if the case is dismissed — which will inevitably occur in light of the evidence I have gathered concerning her multiple lies and manipulations. I could simply request dismissal on the grounds of limitation, but that would be too easy: I am innocent and I wish this to be established before a judge, with evidence in hand. You will find attached several screenshots certified by a bailiff, which will clarify the reality of the facts. Everything I am presenting to you belongs to the realm of facts. In the Epstein matter, the truth has been established by the competent authorities; in the other cases, the documents speak for themselves.

I have also learned that a possible climate of lack of serenity within the orchestra and the chorus in the preparation of Aida has been mentioned. I wish to tell you that I have done everything possible to demonstrate that this concern is unfounded. I was convinced that, even if some of you had concerns, these could have been addressed directly with me. I have heard that the main reason for the cancellation would be precisely this alleged lack of “serenity” within the orchestra and the chorus, which would prevent effective work on ‘Aida.’ But I know your extraordinary professionalism, your sense of duty and your commitment: it is precisely these qualities that allow any tension to be overcome in order to serve music at the highest level. Last year I had to replace at the last minute two cancelled productions, and the same happened to my colleague d’Espinosa: situations that inevitably create tension, and yet, thanks to the quality and rigor of the musicians, everything went in the best possible way. During my years of training, I experienced rehearsals with very great conductors who created an atmosphere far from “serenity”: it is part of a musician’s life, and it is often precisely in these circumstances that the highest results are born. Finally, if there had been questions or doubts, the simple act of speaking about them — as I had proposed to you at the beginning of February — would have made it possible to address calmly all the points that I present to you today in this letter.

I know very well that it is no longer possible to go back. But I wanted to write to you, because the bond we have created, even if for a short time, means immensely to me.