Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Two More Women Accuse Violinist William Preucil Of Misconduct

By Anastasia Tsioulcas | NPR
Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Violinist William Preucil (left), taking a bow with the Cleveland Orchestra at a 2016 performance in Miami.

Rodrigo Varela / Getty Images for The Cleveland Orchestra

Two additional women, violinists Emilia Mettenbrink and Raffaela Kalmar, have made allegations of sexual misconduct against violinist William Preucil, the concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and a now-former instructor at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM). Their accusations were printed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Sunday.

The Cleveland symphony suspended Preucil back in July, when a female violinist named Zeneba Bowers accused him, in the Washington Post, of misconduct that took place during a lesson with him in Miami in 1998. Within days of Bowers' accusation, Preucil resigned from his teaching position at CIM. The Cleveland Orchestra told NPR that it would not comment on any accusations until its ongoing investigation is complete — when, a spokesperson says, it will share "key findings."

Mettenbrink told the Cleveland newspaper that reading Bowers' accusations led her to make her own allegations public. "I started shaking, because it was so similar to my experience," the Plain Dealer quotes her as saying. Like Bowers, Mettenbrink was also a member of the New World Symphony (NWS), a training orchestra for players who are just emerging into their professional careers. Like Bowers, Mettenbrink says that her incident took place in a hotel room in Miami in 2005, where Preucil was staying while giving master classes and lessons at NWS. Mettenbrink was 26 at the time of the alleged incident.

Mettenbrink told the Plain Dealer that she had already taken one lesson with Preucil without incident; he offered her a second lesson at his hotel, saying that there was no availability at NWS. She alleged to the Cleveland paper that when it came time for her to leave after the lesson, he asked about some jewelry she was wearing, invited her to sit down, then seized her and "stuck his tongue down my throat," she said. She told the paper that she broke free of his grasp, grabbed her instrument and ran into an elevator.

Mittenbrink said that she confided in a fellow orchestra member afterwards, who urged her to report the episode to NWS management — but, according to the Plain Dealer, "the symphony's personnel manager was unsure how to proceed." Days later, she said, the orchestra suggested that she contact Preucil by phone, which she declined. NWS did not respond to a request for comment from NPR.

Mettenbrink said that the alleged incident destroyed her confidence and that she made a point of passing up certain opportunities for career advancement, such as job openings at the Cleveland Orchestra, in order to avoid crossing paths with Preucil. She is currently a substitute violinist with the Minnesota Opera.

Raffaela Kalmar told the Plain Dealer that she was a 19-year-old freshman at CIM in the spring of 2003 and studying with Preucil when he allegedly harassed her at the beginning of a lesson. She told the paper that she looked down after unpacking her violin, and realized that Preucil was lying on the ground between her legs, looking up her skirt. She said to the newspaper that he told her, "I just want to see what's up there."

She also told the Cleveland newspaper that she had been warned by other students to be careful of Preucil. But, she said, she decided to continue studying with him after the alleged incident, due to his reputation as a teacher, and that nothing similar transpired for the remainder of her time at the school. Still, she said, she was continually worried. According to her official biography, Kalmar began her studies at age 5 with Preucil's mother, Doris Preucil, in Iowa City. A violinist with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington, she is also married to Carlos Kalmar, music director of the Oregon Symphony and principal conductor of Chicago's Grant Park Music Festival.

The Plain Dealer reports that Preucil has not responded to Mettenbrink and Kalmar's allegations. Attempts by NPR to contact Preucil since the Post first published Bowers allegations in July have not been successful.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

View this story on npr.org
Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

One dead, 4 injured in Downtown Sacramento shooting

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases are increasing globally

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.