“Coming to terms with the past is a top priority”
University of Music acknowledges its responsibility
On May 19, the ARD program “Report Mainz” aired serious allegations against a lecturer who worked for the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar in 2012 and has not taught at the university or the Music High School Schloss Belvedere since then. This lecturer is alleged to have sexually harassed a former student of the Music High School during an excursion organized by the University of Music. A professor at the university is also accused in the report of placing blame on the affected student and thereby protecting the perpetrator.
The current university administration was confronted with the allegations prior to the ARD broadcast and immediately established an investigative commission, which has begun an internal inquiry. In the meantime, discussions have been held or offered with individuals involved at the time. The investigation process is not yet complete. Should the investigation reveal that the university failed to act appropriately in the past, the university will assume full responsibility for this.
“We take the allegations very seriously and do not doubt them. On behalf of the university, I apologize to all those who had to endure such personal suffering at our institution,” said University President Prof. Anne-Kathrin Lindig. “We are in the process of gaining as comprehensive a picture as possible of the events that took place at that time. Addressing this matter immediately is our top priority. In addition, we strive daily to create ever better and safer conditions, especially for one-on-one instruction.”
Abuse of power and violations of the privacy of university members or those under the university’s care will not be tolerated at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar. Confirmed violations will be punished by the university administration with all means at its disposal. In recent years, the university has already taken extensive measures to raise awareness, prevent such incidents, protect those affected, and address abuse of power, discrimination, and sexualized violence—and will continue to intensify this process. The university encourages those affected to contact the university administration directly or to use the SOS button on the university website—which has been in place for several years—to find out about contact persons, support services, and anonymous drop boxes, and to report their cases.
For the past ten years, German music universities have been working together systematically to identify the causes of abuse of power, further develop institutional structures, and thus create not only excellent but also safe study conditions. The ongoing academic study on abuse of power at German music universities, conducted by the independent research institute IPP Munich, will for the first time provide comprehensive, reliable findings on the extent and manifestations of abuse of power at German music universities. The results will be published in spring 2027.
[20 May 2026]