Juilliard fires former chair after sexual misconduct investigation

The Juilliard School announced that it fired the former head of its composition program, Robert Beaser after a law firm investigated allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Beaser dating back over 30 years.

The investigators, from the firm Potter & Murdock, found "credible evidence that Mr. Beaser engaged in conduct which interfered with individuals' academic work and was inconsistent with Juilliard's commitment to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for its students."

Juilliard stated investigators found that Beaser had engaged in an unreported relationship that violated Juilliard's policy at the time and that he had "repeatedly misrepresented facts about his actions."

Beaser had been the chair of the renowned music conservatory's composition department for 25 years, between 1994 and 2018. Accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct against the composer were first made public last December in the German-based magazine VAN.

According to the VAN article, “The allegations against Beaser range from repeated sexual advances to sexual relationships with students. Other young composers in the department believe these relationships influenced Beaser’s decision-making as department chair.”

VAN also found that multiple Juilliard faculty and staff have been made aware of allegations against Beaser since the early 2000s. Samuel Adler, a former department faculty member, and current professor emeritus, acknowledged that he had heard of these allegations.

“It is true that some women did not feel comfortable with some of my colleagues,” Adler said. He declined to discuss specifics, citing his continued close relationships with other members of the faculty.

Juilliard confirmed that Beaser had been placed on leave in December, pending the investigation's outcome. Now, that separation is permanent.