Metropolitan Opera controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2018
Termination of James Levine relationship
The Met announced that its investigation had found credible evidence of sexually abusive and harassing conduct by Levine and ended his relationship with the company. The organization stated that its investigation found no substantiated evidence of a management or board cover-up, a conclusion that remained part of the public controversy.
2017
Sexual-abuse allegations involving James Levine
The Met suspended James Levine and commissioned an outside investigation after allegations that he had sexually abused and harassed younger artists. The case raised questions about institutional knowledge, oversight, and the protection of artists working under a powerful artistic leader.
2014
Controversy over The Death of Klinghoffer
The Met’s production of John Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer generated protests and public criticism from organizations and commentators who argued that the opera’s depiction of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was antisemitic. Supporters defended the work as a complex dramatic treatment of political violence and competing historical perspectives.