Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil Suspended Over Sexual Assault Allegations

Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil has this week been suspended from the ensemble following a serious allegation of sexual assault

It has been announced this week that Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil has been suspended from the ensemble "until further notice" - following a serious allegation of sexual assault.

The alleged sexual misconduct, published earlier this week in the Washington Post, outlined an alleged incident in Miami in 1998, where the then 40-year-old Concertmaster invited a female student from the New World Symphony Training Academy to his hotel room - before aggressively kissing her, opening her buttons and pushing her forcefully onto the bed.

The victim went on to allege, that following the incident, Preucil called her threatening to blacklist her from the industry if she told anyone.

"The Cleveland Orchestra was not aware of the allegations reported by The Washington Post about William Preucil in their July 26, 2018 article ...." Cleveland Orchestra's Executive Director André Gremillet has said.

"We take this matter very seriously and will promptly conduct an independent investigation ... Mr. Preucil has been suspended until further notice," she has said.

Preucil had served the Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster role since 1995.

It is understood that, he has also this week resigned from his long-time teaching position as a Distinguished Professor of Violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music, following the allegations.

The now 60-year-old has also this week been un-invited from engagements to perform at the Grand Teton Music Festival, New Mexico Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the University of Texas.