Pieter Jan Leusink will again be conducting concerts with the Bach Choir &Orchestra of the Netherlands from December. Susanne Streefkerk-Stoker,director of the Classical Concerts Netherlands Foundation (KCN), whichoperates the ensemble, announced this on Friday. NRC confirmed. Leusinksuspended his activities indefinitely in June, after the Human Rights Councilruled that he sexually intimidated two musicians between 2012 and 2016.
In June, the KCN foundation wrote in a press release that “final talks wereheld with a potential replacement for Mr. Leusink”. The replacement has notarrived. Instead, concertmaster Enrique Gómez-Cabrero Fernández has conductedsmall concerts. Leusink led the rehearsals of the choir and orchestra in thesummer.
Streefkerk-Stoker: “The return of Leusink is the express wish of allmusicians, employees and board members.” When asked whether the musicians, whodepend on the foundation for their income, dare to speak freely, she replies:“An anonymous employee survey will be conducted by an external researchagency.”
The marketing communications of all future concerts by the Bach Choir &Orchestra of the Netherlands – including full-page advertisements in nationalnewspapers – do not yet mention a conductor. According to Streefkerk-Stoker,Leusink only made the decision last week, after which the foundation firstinformed the ticket buyers. Streefkerk-Stoker: “There has been one negativepublic reaction to that. No musicians or employees have left after thisdecision.”
‘Stupid but not wrong’
In a broadcast of investigative TV program Brandpunt+ in 2018, four womenaccused Leusink of mentally and physically transgressing behaviour. Leusinkwould have asked female musicians, among other things, to stay at his houseand advised women “to masturbate to overcome inner blockages.”
The Institute for Human Rights, independently of the TV broadcast, focused onthe accusations of two anonymous female musicians and in June this year agreedwith them: in the opinion of the Institute, the conductor had sexuallyintimidated the women. The Board had considered the case against the KCNfoundation because of the right to a safe working environment.
Streefkerk-Stoker: “Leusink was not summoned by the Board at the time and nocharges were ever filed against him.” According to her, he “had an affair withtwo musicians. That was stupid, he shouldn’t have done that. But it wasn’twrong.” In a statement, the foundation further writes: “Pieter Jan Leusinkrealizes that times and social views have changed and that it was very unwiseto enter into a relationship.”
Leusink will conduct in public for the first time on 9 December. The concertsfor this, including in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, are conducted byFernández. The choir and orchestra will play a total of 29 Christmas concerts,of which Streefkerk-Stoker does not yet know how many concerts will be led byLeusink. Leusink will do all planned concerts next year, including Bachs_Matthew Passion_ , conducting. It was already certain that Leusink’s partner,soprano Olga Zinovieva, would sing along in the concerts.