It's about time it came out.

but just that he was gay, not that he was abusing underage children.

Mr. Levine now also?
The abuse just keeps being revealed.

for years. Lots of payoffs. This is all old news to those who have worked in the opera world. These comments are so trite by Gelb and the board it's hard to believe they can even speak. It's embarrassing for people like myself who worked at the Met for years to suddenly hear such righteousness from the Met's administration.

I was never treated in a disrespectful way by any administrative or music staff at the Met. But it has been common knowledge that Mr. Levine was covered by the board of directors for his abuse for decades. It was like some warped legend.

Who is going to call out those who enabled him? Are those payoffs going to come to light? Could he have been dealt with years ago before more damage could be done? Too late now. There are a lot of king's horses and a lot of king's men involved and Jimmy just isn't as omnipotent as he used to be. Now he will be easily sacrificed for the monied and the powerful so they can escape his fate. Or will he?

The rumors were so prevalent that they could have included them in the employee handbook.

But before that, I remember a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the 1970s alleging Levine attacked a young male in a restroom while The Met was on tour in Cleveland. Stories like that never made it into the NYT.

The real emerging scandal here will be if those complicit in covering up “the Jimmy problem” are called out for enabling this pedophile for decades. This will include The Met management and Board, not to mention hundreds of musicians who worked with him over the years and who knew about his “problem” but who continued to work with him anyway. It will also include the NY Times, who according to received opinion in NYC also were in on covering up the Jimmy problem.

working with him. First, the mantle goes to those who fund the house. Then there's the administration who simply try to keep operations running smoothly, the music staff who have to keep the singers, conductors, directors in some assemblage of order. Finally singers as performers who stand straddled between venues, managers, general career promotion and... a life. There is a hierarchy you don't cross as a performer if you want a career at all. You spend time connecting at all levels and you see and hear plenty along the way. But if you are there to perform, that's what you do. You have no political involvement in the house and if you decide to have an opinion, you are brushed away like so much dust. On the other hand is you have a major career you may enter a conversation if invited, but it's only patronage on their part.
In otherwords, If Jimmy wants to work with you you don't turn him down if you want to work there. If you don't want to work there, that's fine with them.
Singers, conductors, directors, musicians... have no power to say anything but what pertains to their specific job. Those who have power over a person like Jimmy would only be those who fund the organization and appointed officials within the company or elected officials in the city and state.
Singers, conductors etc. taking a stand would be a joke, a joke that would at the least cost them their Met career for sure and for no productive purpose.
Just for clarity, Jimmy was professional to professionals. He was never less than courteous to me in our working relationship. It's when he was in non-professional settings in board member homes, around their kids, or non performing venues that the unfortunate side showed itself. The prevailing thought has been, "well, he's a genius. They're all like that in some way... like Wagner and Liszt, Britten..." and they just think they are in the presence of history rather than another faulty human.

Sorry to ramble. There are centuries of fault to weed through in our genetic dispositions.

rumblings for years about Levine and you bring up a very good point. Far too many of these cases are being held back because of board members who sign off on the payoffs (like fox did for aisles and Reilly). It's time for these people to be held to account. If Levine has any dirt on these members, this could get very ugly.

My sister was involved in the opera scene in New York decades ago and she knew about the rumblings about Levine.

I am a huge opera fan, especially the Met, just not a James Levine fan.