Bayreuth Festival management has promised an investigation after sexual harassment allegations surfaced last Friday. "We are treating the allegations very seriously and will investigate them here," managing director Ulrich Jagels told German media.

Bavarian daily the Nordbayerischer Kurier reported several sexual assaults against women at the event, as well as insults, sexist statements and suggestive text messages. "If the cases are confirmed, appropriate consequences will naturally follow," Jagels said. A center where victims can speak in confidence has already been established. 

Festival director Katharina Wagner also affected

Festival director Katharina Wagner was also a victim, with the Kurier reporting that her breast was groped. "It doesn't necessarily affect me as festival director, but it affects me as a director and person," she said in a press conference on Saturday July 23 before the festival opened.

"However [...] I also fought back, and I did so very clearly," she added. Wagner again appealed to all affected female employees to find the courage to contact her, providing assurance that all cases would be treated in strict confidence.

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The director is the great-granddaughter of 19th century German composer Richard Wagner, who originally conceptualized the Bayreuth Festival to showcase his world-renowned operas. 

Stage design by Hermann Nitsch for 'The Valkyries'

Unrelated to the sexual assaults, accusations also surfaced against former music director and conductor Christian Thielemann for disrespectful remarks toward female musicians. Thielemann will be conducting Wagner's opera "Lohengrin" this year.

In an internal letter, the conductor is said to have complained that there were two women playing the double basses in the orchestra, and that he would have preferred to have a male lineup instead. "Neither of the ladies was replaced by me, both are of course excellent musicians," Katharina Wagner affirmed. 

Thielemann had in the meantime overcome his "uneasiness" about these unfamiliar faces. "Both ladies have told me that they felt treated very well by Christian Thielemann, and the orchestra council has also confirmed this to me," said the chairman of the board of directors, Georg von Waldenfels.

Beside complaints of sexism, some have also complained about the tone of the productions. "We deal with these issues on a daily basis," said Wagner, who has already had a number of conversations with affected parties. "We are very keen on resolving such cases consistently and with the necessary rigor." 

Claudia Roth: 'Sexual assaults must not go unpunished'

Germany's culture commissioner, Claudia Roth of the Green Party, stressed that the accusations and reports of sexual harassment at the Bayreuth Festival must be taken seriously. "I assume that the management of the Bayreuth Festival will vigorously investigate the incidents and take appropriate steps," Roth said in Berlin on Friday when the allegations first surfaced. "Sexual assault, whether verbal or physical, is absolutely unacceptable and may not go unpunished."

The federal government is a shareholder of the Bayreuth Festival, as is the state of Bavaria. Bavarian Arts Minister Markus Blume said there must be immediate consequences: "Sexism has no place in our society. Zero tolerance must apply here."

According to a 2018 study on sexism in everyday life commissioned by the German family ministry, 44% of all women experience sexism in everyday life. Around 41% of women who face sexism experience it in the workplace, while 46% experience sexism in public places, the report indicated.

Many cases unreported

The authors of the study refer to a large number of unreported cases, since many sexist incidents are now so commonplace — for example, the unsolicited sending of "dick pics," or digital photos of a man's penis.

In addition, the study stated that men who work in higher management positions at large corporations, or as professionals, often reject sexism as a "phantom" debate, or argue that men are discriminated against by women rather than the other way around. If groping or assaulting of women has occurred, this was allegedly done primarily by men of the "underclass" or "other cultural groups."

In 2020, a video titled "Men's World" showing the daily abuse women face online in Germany was broadcast live on prime-time TV — and then went viral. Men were apparently shocked by what they saw, while women wondered whether this would change anything.

Prevention at the Bayreuth Festival

Managing Director Ulrich Jagels emphasized to the press that the topic of prevention is also being dealt with in Bayreuth; regardless of whether the issue is sexist remarks, sexual assault or an inappropriate tone. "First of all, we have to make it clear to people that we are highly sentitive to violations on this value-based code of conduct. That then sends a clear signal to all festival employees." 

The Bayreuth Festival begins July 25. This year, more operas than ever before will be performed. Last year, strong women played a prominent role. The festival is a cultural institution in Germany and throughout Europe. It focuses on the work of German composer Richard Wagner, whose female companions did not always have it easy. Today, his operas are performed in Bayreuth in ever newer productions.

Celebrities and prominent people are often in attendance, including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel — who will attend again this year with her husband, Joachim Sauer.

Author Christine Lehnen

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