Gardiner to step down from Monteverdi after assault

The board of the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras (MCO) has announced that its founder and Artistic Director, John Eliot Gardiner, will not be returning to his post following time away from the organisation after he physically assaulted a singer in August 2023. 

MCO said Gardiner, who has not worked with MCO for nearly a year, accepted full responsibility for the incident at the Berlioz Festival, in which he struck a bass soloist on the face after he exited a performance on the wrong side of the stage.

The organisation said it had considered “a rehabilitation process” but added that it “takes seriously its obligations to protect victims of abuse and assault, and preventing any recurrence remains a priority for the organisation”.

READ MORE:

• Gardiner withdraws from all future performances this year 

• Conductor accused of bullying claims unfair dismissal

In its statement, MCO praised the conductor and founder of English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique for his “extraordinary musical influence over the past sixty years”.

Gardiner said the decision to step down had come after “a long period of deep consideration and reflection” and extensive discussions with the MCO board.

“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,” said Gardiner.

“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.”

Gardiner, who is 81, asserted that he was “not in any sense ready to retire” and will be focusing on “a rich variety of other activities” including guest conducting, recording, writing and creative and education projects as part of a lighter, lower-pressure schedule.

He added: “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.”