The Latest High Profile #MeToo Accusation

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The 8/22/18 edition of the New York Times published an article by Michael Cooper which reports on allegations that countertenor David Daniels drugged and raped a fellow singer in 2010.

The singer, Samuel Schultz, a 32-year-old baritone, said in an interview on Wednesday that he had been drugged and raped by Mr. Daniels and Mr. Daniels’s partner, Scott Walters, who is now his husband, when Mr. Daniels was appearing at Houston Grand Opera.

The article includes details of the alleged assault along with the decision by Daniels to take a leave of absence from his position at the University of Michigan.

Daniels and his husband have denied the allegations while the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) released the following statement:

“We are deeply concerned to learn this news. It is very much in opposition to the professional environment we strive to provide. We will cooperate with any law enforcement inquiries and launch our own investigation once we know the full range of the allegations.”

The University of Michigan also released a statement. One key difference is this is the first institution to incorporate a commitment to creating an environment that supports reporting allegations

“At the University of Michigan, every report we receive, in whatever form, is taken seriously and is carefully reviewed for appropriate action. We believe that no one should ever be subjected to discriminatory harassment or sexual misconduct. We are deeply committed to the creation and support of a safe and productive learning environment for all our students, faculty, and staff. We want everyone to feel comfortable reporting any such incident to the university. We believe strongly in the philosophy of ‘see something, say something’.”

Currently, the case is being investigated by the Houston Police.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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