![The 2018 class of the Cleveland Orchestra [Roger Mastroianni/The Cleveland Orchestra]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1f68828/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x600+0+0/resize/840x630!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F10%2F07%2FCurrent%20Class%20Photo%20%28Roger%20Mastroianni%20TCO%29800.jpg)
NOTE: This story has been updated to include a comment from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Two more former students of William Preucil have accused the suspended Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster of sexual misconduct.
The Cleveland Orchestra suspended Preucil earlier this summer following allegations of sexual assault first reported by The Washington Post.
According to The Plain Dealer, the new allegations are from two violinists, Emilia Mettenbrink, currently with the Minnesota Opera, and Raffaela Kalmar.
In an interview with The Plain Dealer, Mettenbrink said that when she was a member of Miami’s New World Symphony in 2005, Preucil suggested that he hold a private lesson for her in his hotel room. After the lesson as she began to leave, Preucil grabbed her and "stuck his tongue down my throat," Mettenbrink said.
Kalmar cited an incident in 2003 when she was a 19-year-old freshman at the Cleveland Institute of Music. As she was unpacking her instrument before a lesson, she found him on the floor looking up her dress between her legs, The Plain Dealer reports. Preucil resigned this July from the faculty of CIM following the Post story.
Kalmar also told the Plain Dealer that Preucil had a reputation at the school, classmates told her to be on guard around him and she does not believe "CIM's claims of ignorance." The Cleveland Institute of Music did not respond directly to ideastream's request for comment on Kalmar's criticism.
However, in a statement emailed to ideastream, a CIM spokeswoman said Sunday's Plain Dealer story was the first it learned of the new allegation against Preucil. The statement went on to read in part:
The Institute’s administration understands the weight of its responsibility to students, and is following the protections and requirements that Title IX affords to all parties. Every day, CIM cultivates and defends an environment where students and employees are comfortable sharing concerns in the belief they will be taken seriously.
In recent years, CIM has refocused and formalized its efforts to identify instances of sexual harassment and enforce its policies regarding it. CIM has adopted clearer policies and procedures for reporting this type of activity, as well as enforced regular training requirements to ensure understanding and compliance among our staff and students.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Orchestra hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations against Preucil.
"The investigation is ongoing. We’re going to share the committee’s key findings when the investigation is complete," Justin Holden, a spokesman for the orchestra, said. The orchestra has not responded to questions as to whether it was aware of Mettenbrink's allegation.
