SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Opera says it has removed countertenor David Daniels from an upcoming production of Handel’s “Orlando” due to sexual assault allegations against the singer.
FILE – In this, Dec. 28, 2011 file photo, David Daniels performs as Prospero during the final dress rehearsal of “The Enchanted Island,” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The San Francisco Opera announced, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2018, it was removing Daniels from an upcoming production of Handel’s “Orlando” due to sexual assault allegations made last month against the singer. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Daniels was sued last month by a student at the University of Michigan, where the singer is a professor, for sexual assault.
The San Francisco Opera on Thursday cited the lawsuit and allegations against Daniels as the reason for his removal from the June 2019 production. No replacement has been named.
The lawsuit filed in a Michigan federal court alleges Daniels groped the male student and sent and requested sexual photos. The lawsuit also alleges that Daniels served the student alcohol, gave him sleep medication and touched him sexually.
A message sent to Daniels’ representative was not immediately returned.
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