“When the Cleveland Orchestra fired its longtime concertmaster, William Preucil, last week amid accusations of sexual misconduct, the news soon resonated beyond the orchestra world to music teachers and the parents of violin students,” writes Michael Cooper in Wednesday’s (10/31) New York Times. “That is because it is Mr. Preucil who plays on the recordings that accompany the Suzuki violin books, which have been used to teach the method to legions of young players. Several teachers and parents went online to question the continued use of his recordings in light of the accusations against him. Laurie Niles, a Suzuki teacher, wrote on Violinist.com that they put the reputation of the Suzuki community ‘at grave risk.’ On Tuesday, Alfred Music, the publisher of the Suzuki books and recordings, said it would replace its recordings featuring Mr. Preucil. ‘We take the allegations of sexual misconduct that have been made against violinist William Preucil, Jr. extremely seriously, and we are dismayed at the findings of the investigation conducted on behalf of the Cleveland Orchestra,’ Alfred Music said.… ‘We will work closely with the International Suzuki Association and will replace our current Suzuki Violin School recordings with new recordings as soon as possible.’ ”
Posted October 31, 2018
