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Philadelphia Orchestra names opening night replacement for Plácido Domingo

The opera superstar was dropped after allegations of sexual misconduct.

Singer/actress Audra McDonald
Singer/actress Audra McDonaldRead moreAllison Michael Orenstein

Now it’s Audra McDonald who will headline the Philadelphia Orchestra’s opening night gala in September. The singer and actress replaces Plácido Domingo, who was disinvited by the orchestra after last week’s Associated Press story detailing allegations of sexual misconduct by the superstar tenor.

With orchestra music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium, McDonald will perform works of Gershwin, Sondheim, Hammerstein, and others for the start of the orchestra’s 2019-20 season in Verizon Hall. She has performed with the orchestra before — notably for the 2009 New Year’s Eve concert.

McDonald has also appeared with the orchestra at the Mann Center in 1999, at the Academy of Music Anniversary Concert in 2004, and for the Marian Anderson Award in 2006. The singer and actress is known for straddling a variety of genres. Winner of six Tony Awards, she has appeared in Broadway, opera, and with a number of orchestras. She’s known for her role on TV’s Private Practice, and currently appears in CBS All Access’ The Good Fight.

» READ MORE: Audra McDonald’s sonic purity, orchestra’s lushness

The Philadelphia Orchestra, which has assembled a 2019-20 season with a particular concentration on female composers and conductors, immediately canceled its forthcoming date with the 78-year-old Domingo after the AP revealed that eight singers and a dancer said they were sexually harassed over three decades at companies where Domingo held top managerial positions.

“We are committed to providing a safe, supportive, respectful, and appropriate environment for the orchestra and staff, for collaborating artists and composers, and for our audiences and communities," a statement from the orchestra read.

At the other musical organization headed by Nézet-Séguin, the Metropolitan Opera, Domingo is still slated to appear alongside soprano Anna Netrebko starting next month in Verdi’s Macbeth. (The conductor for these performances is Marco Armiliato.)

Among the most powerful figures in classical music, Domingo released a statement to the AP calling the allegations “deeply troubling and as presented, inaccurate.” Still, he said, it was “painful to hear that I may have upset anyone or made them feel uncomfortable — no matter how long ago and despite my best intentions. I believed that all of my interactions and relationships were always welcomed and consensual.”

The orchestra’s opening night concert and gala on Sept. 18 will still feature soprano Adela Zaharia, who had originally been scheduled to sing with Domingo in the Violetta and Germont duet from Act II of Verdi’s La traviata. Now, instead, she will sing by herself in “È strano! … Ah, fors’è lui … Sempre libera” from the same opera.

Gala tickets start at $500 at www.philorch.org or 215-893-3124. Concert-only tickets are $95-$250 at www.philorch.org or 215-893-1999.