Placido Domingo faces new sexual harassment claims as female singer claims he asked to put his hands in her trouser pockets after she had been warned never to get in a lift alone with him

• ‘The Three Tenors’ icon has been accused of sexually harassing a female singer
• Plácido Domingo has denied any wrongdoing following previous allegations
• Victim claims she did not speak out at the time as the singer was ‘untouchable’ 

Spanish opera star Plácido Domingo faced new accusations of sexual harassment from a fellow singer in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

An unidentified singer spoke out on Spain’s La Sexta (the Sixth) television channel, claiming Domingo asked to touch her at a theatre in Spain in the early 2000s.

This comes three years after initial claims from alleged victims prompted an apology and curtailed the career of the Spanish-born ‘Three Tenors’ singer who has not admitted any wrongdoing.

‘One of the first things they tell you is don’t go up in the lift alone with Plácido Domingo,’ the woman said.

Spanish opera singer Plácido Domingo performs during Joseph Calleja’s 25th anniversary concert at Fort Manoel on Manoel Island in Valletta’s Marsamxett Harbour in Malta in 2022

The anonymous singer recounted how Plácido Domingo, born José Plácido Domingo Embil, asked to touch her after a rehearsal.

‘The first time that I felt unease was when we were rehearsing. 

‘He [Plácido] told me in front of everyone: “Listen, can I put my hand in one of these lovely pockets of yours?” 

‘I was wearing trousers with an embroidered back pocket,’ she said.

‘I had a bad stomach because I thought, “what can I say to [Domingo] in order to carry on normally?”

‘If I tell him no, there will be consequences and if I say yes, I don’t even want to think about it.’

The Spanish singer said that she did not report Domingo as she feared he was ‘untouchable’.

Domingo is one of the most successful contemporary opera singers as one third of The Three Tenors, active during the 1990s and 2000s, with Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras.

The Three Tenors’ first live album became the best-selling classical album of all time in 1990.

Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo has not admitted any wrongdoing following allegations

In a 2020 investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), more than three dozen singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff said they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate behaviour by Domingo. 

The investigation concluded he had behaved inappropriately.

Plácido Domingo then said in a statement that he was ‘truly sorry’ for hurt caused.

Some institutions chose to distance themselves from the opera singer after the investigation, though Domingo still expects to tour this year.

No criminal case was brought to court over any of the claims.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo in January 2022, Domingo denied harassing anyone and said he felt he had been convicted in the court of public opinion because he did not speak out.

AGMA’s investigation was partial and had few concrete facts, he said.

Domingo returned to Spain to perform in a charity concert in June after an absence of almost a year and a half, and has since performed in other countries.

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