Investigation Launched Against Frédéric Chaslin Following Sexual Harassment Complaint
Paris, March 12 – The Paris Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an investigation targeting French conductor Frédéric Chaslin, BFMTV has learned from concordant sources. This action follows a complaint lodged on February 10 by lyric singer Amelia Feuer, who alleges sexual harassment dating back to 2016.
Amelia Feuer, who had previously spoken to BFMTV in February about her complaint against Chaslin – whose name also appeared in the declassified Jeffrey Epstein documents – recounted messages she received from the conductor. One such message read: “I will put my hands and mouth everywhere you are cold (…). Be ready to lose all control and manners.”
Feuer stated, “He used his power for me to work with him.” She added, “Over time, I realized that it wasn’t really for my talent that he solicited me, but because he wanted to be with me in a less professional context.”
Allegations of Unprofessional Conduct
The young woman, who is the director of the “Les inoubliables” festival, explained that she did not respond positively to the messages from the French conductor. “I asked if we could just work together. And at some point, he stopped responding to me,” she detailed. “I was very upset and thought: ‘should I, as a young, powerless singer, have gone along with him (…) I absolutely wanted this opportunity to work.'”
Frédéric Chaslin, when contacted by BFMTV on Thursday, March 12, defended himself against the accusations. “To accuse me of wanting to force someone’s consent, for me, is totally absurd,” said the conductor.
He clarified the origin of one of the messages: “There are two messages. The first is taken from a poem I had set to music for her, as I had offered her an audition for Robert Frost’s poems,” he continued. “It’s a more or less erotic poem, it must be said. But I don’t think writing erotic poems is still a crime, otherwise, Baudelaire would have to be removed from literature immediately.”
Chaslin further explained, “I thought she had understood the allusion, especially since the situation was rather humorous as she had somewhat invited herself to a visit I was going to make to Versailles with a friend, and she had indicated that she was afraid of being cold. However, it was in the middle of a July heatwave.”
Conductor Denies Withholding Work
Regarding the work that the lyric singer claims she did not obtain after refusing his alleged advances, Frédéric Chaslin again defended himself. “I insisted that she do this audition. I think she didn’t want to do it. I insisted on listening to my melodies, I wanted to hear her sing them.” He asserted that he had sent her messages to schedule this audition, but that she had responded by saying she was not available or that they would do it another time. “So, at one point, I told her: ‘thank you, let’s forget it, because there’s really no way to set up an appointment.'”
When questioned about the opening of this investigation by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, Frédéric Chaslin stated that he had “asked” his lawyer “to transmit to the prosecutor all the necessary elements” for his defense. “I am naturally at the disposal of the prosecutor, and I have full confidence that the truth will quickly lead to a dismissal, notably with the very warm messages she addressed to me in 2020.”
The investigation is ongoing, and further details are expected as the inquiry progresses.
Source: BFMTV
