Grammy-winning 81-year-old leaves his post ‘for the immediate future’ after accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped musicians over a period of 15 years

Charles Dutoit, the 81-year-old conductor and artistic director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, has been accused of sexual assault by six female musicians.

The orchestra has released a statement saying that it, along with Dutoit, “have jointly agreed to release him from his forthcoming concert obligations with the orchestra for the immediate future,” adding that it is “committed to the highest standards of ethical behaviour”.

“These accusations are taken very seriously by the orchestra and the RPO believes that the truth of the matter should be determined by the legal process,” the statement continues. “Charles Dutoit needs to be given a fair opportunity to seek legal advice and contest these accusations.”

He has been sacked from other positions at the San Francisco Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, while orchestras in New York, Chicago and Cleveland have all cancelled appearances from him.

Dutoit has responded to the allegations, calling them “shocking... I do not recognize the man or the actions being described in the media.

“Whilst informal physical contact is commonplace in the arts world as a mutual gesture of friendship, the serious accusations made involving coercion and forced physical contact have absolutely no basis in truth.” He added that he was taking legal advice and would defend himself against the accusations.

The alleged incidents took place between 1985 and 2010. The women accuse him of variously pressing himself against them, forcibly kissing them and groping them. The retired mezzo-soprano Paula Rasmussen, recalled how Dutoit “threw me against the wall, shoved my hand down his pants and shoved his tongue down my throat”.

Four women, including two who wish to remain anonymous for fear of being blacklisted by the classical music industry, spoke to Associated Press with their accusations. Two more women have since made accusations to the website Slipped Disc. Pianist Jenny Q Chai said Dutoit “then ran his hands all over my body and tried to kiss me and stick his tongue in my mouth” when she was 17, after a concert in Philadelphia.

Another woman named Fiona, commenting on the website, accuses Dutoit of groping her in his dressing room at the Tanglewood venue that is the summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. “I alerted the orchestra manager, who told me (too late…) that they usually advised women not to enter his dressing room unaccompanied, as there had been previous complaints,” she wrote.

Canadian journalist Nathalie Gauthier had previously written about a 1995 incident in which Dutoit kissed her forehead and touched her leg during an interview.

One woman who spoke to Associated Press said Dutoit attacked her on four occasions while she was a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Joe Kluger, the orchestra’s former president, said that Dutoit’s “extremely flirtatious” manner was a factor in twice turning him down for a music director position. He said that Dutoit’s “inappropriate behaviour with women [was] common knowledge in the classical music business... I do recall telling our staff to be wary around him and encouraged them to report any inappropriate behaviour immediately.” Dutoit was nevertheless artistic director of the orchestra’s summer festival for 20 years, and currently holds the title of conductor laureate there. He is also the current conductor emeritus at the NHK Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo.

The Swiss-born Dutoit made his conducting debut in 1959 after a spell as a viola player, and has had a long and distinguished career since, winning two Grammy awards, and stints in other prestigious orchestras across the world. He was the artistic director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 25 years, and spent a decade with the Orchestre National de France.

His tenure at the RPO began in 2009, and he is contracted to hold his positions until 2019, when he is scheduled to receive the new title of honorary conductor for life.