Argentina’s famed Teatro Colón opera house has sacked its musical director, renowned British conductor Jan Latham-Koenig, after he was arrested and charged with child sex offences in London.
"In view of the news of an extremely serious accusation against Jan Latham Koening in the United Kingdom, the Teatro Colón has decided to dismiss him from all current and future activities he performed in the institution," the theatre said in a press release.
Latham-Koenig, 70, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in the UK capital on Friday, two days after he was arrested.
Speaking only to confirm his name and address, he was released on bail until February 9, when his next hearing takes place.
Reports in England say the world-renowned conductor had been arrested at Victoria station in London on Wednesday after an investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan police’s specialist crime command.
Latham-Koenig, a resident of South Kensington, has been charged with arranging or facilitating a child sex offence and sexual communications with a child via telephone or online.
Court reporters said the exact charges would be detailed at the February 9 hearing.
It is understood the Teatro Colón’s authorities did not learn of developments until this Friday.
Sources, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they were shocked and that the news only became known within the theatre after it was published by international media outlets.
The theatre’s director, Jorge Telerman, hired Latham-Koenig in March 2022 and the conductor, who did not reside in Argentina, travelled several times to Buenos Aires last year to oversee multiple projects.
His last public appearance at the venue was at a gala event hosted by the US Embassy in Argentina to celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Latham-Koenig was the first British-born conductor to become artistic director of a Russian opera company, and was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 with an award for services to music and UK-Russia cultural relations.
In a long and storied career, he has conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and all the BBC ensembles.
During his time at the Novaya Opera (New Opera), Latham-Koenig staged Moscow's premiere of Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, one of the cornerstones of Western classical music.
The Novaya Opera was founded by former Moscow city mayor Yuri Luzhkov to be an opera for the people – cheaper and more accessible than the better-known Bolshoi.
Its founding director Yevgeny Kolobov was universally admired but the house then floundered after his death in 2003, rediscovering its momentum under Latham-Koenig's leadership.
– TIMES/PERFIL
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