Conductor John Eliot Gardner pulls out of future engagements after allegedly hitting a singer
By The Associated Press on August 31, 2023.
LONDON (AP) – Baroque music conductor John Eliot Gardiner is pulling out of future engagements after allegedly hitting a singer who left the stage incorrectly after a performance. The conductor said in a statement Thursday that he was stepping back to get “the specialist help I recognize that I have needed for some time.” “I want to apologize to colleagues who have felt badly treated and anyone who may feel let down by my decision to take time out to address my issues. I am heartbroken to have caused so much distress, and I am determined to learn from my mistakes,” he said. The conductor allegedly hit William Thomas after the bass singer left the podium on the wrong side during a concert last week at the Festival Berlioz in La Cote-Saint-Andre, southeastern France. A spokesperson for Gardiner initially said the conductor was suffering from extreme heat in France and suspected that a recent change in medication may have contributed to the behavior, according to the classical music news site SlippeDisc. 6-5
