Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner has had his contract with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras officially terminated, 11 months after he was suspended for hitting a singer during a performance.
ADVERTISEMENT81-year-old Gardiner formed the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras (MCO) in 1964 which has now issued a statement that the conductor will step down with immediate effect.
“Following a reported assault in August 2023, John Eliot Gardiner stepped back from public music-making. He accepted full responsibility for the incident, and he has not worked with the organisation for nearly a year,” the orchestra’s statement reads.
“During this time, the MCO did consider the possibility of a rehabilitation process,” the statement expanded, noting that the Monteverdi “takes seriously its obligations to protect victims of abuse and assault, and preventing any recurrence remains a priority for the organisation.”
Gardiner was conducting a performance of ‘Les Troyens’ at the Berlioz Festival in La Côte-Saint-André when the incident occurred. The then 80-year-old conductor hit William Thomas, a 29-year-old bass singer, after he left the podium to the supposedly incorrect left side.
Reportedly frustrated with Thomas’s exit, Gardiner approached him after the end of the first half. As Thomas and other castmates celebrated, Gardiner allegedly walked over with a pint of beer and said: “I feel like throwing this over your head.”
Reportedly there was a “brief shouting battle” before Gardiner slapped and punched the singer in the face.
Gardiner is known for his dramatic temper. Representatives of the conductor told SlippedDiscat the time that he was suffering from “extreme heat” during a heatwave in France last year and the potential effects of a change in medication.
Gardiner has also released a statement about the decision stating that the choir has been “the proudest and most inspiring project of my life, and I have arrived at this decision with a heavy heart after six decades of remarkable collaborative achievement.”
“I have done a great deal of soul searching since the deeply regrettable incident at the Festival Berlioz at La Côte-Saint-André last August and have apologised repeatedly and unreservedly for losing control in such an inappropriate fashion. I have undergone extensive therapy and other counselling over the past 11 months and have learned a great deal about myself and my past behaviour, but I have reached the conclusion that the best way forward for both myself and for the MCO is to accept that a clear change in our relationship is necessary now for the good of both parties.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, I am not in any sense ready to retire. I will be focussing on a rich variety of other activities including guest conducting, recording, writing, creative and education projects (to which I am deeply committed) as part of a lighter, lower pressure schedule. I truly feel energised and excited about the future and fully intend to commit wholeheartedly to carrying on the work that I remain passionate about and which is forever part of my DNA,” the conductor wrote.
William Thomas has continued to sing with the MCO and, since Gardiner’s suspension, has performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan; Glyndebourne; and Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; and Usher Hall, Edinburgh.
