Biss Resigns from RCM Over Abuse Inaction

Pianist Jonathan Biss has resigned from the Royal College of Music’s Glenn Gould School faculty seven months after joining it. He cites the school’s failure to respond in a timely manner to a recently revealed, decades-old allegation of sexual abuse.

In February Lusiana Lukman issued a public account of the abuse she suffered under the late pianist and longtime teacher Boris Berlin during the 1980s, when she was 15 years old. She was a recent immigrant to the U.S. and spoke little English. She also cited how, in response to reporting it to then-director of academic studies Peter Simon, he asked her if she wanted a new teacher but took no further action. “That was all he said,” Lukman recalls. “I felt invisible and dismissed.”

There is no record of any disciplinary action taken against Berlin; Simon has said he does not recall the conversation with Lukman, but is sure that he would have taken further action. Since Lukman’s public statement, the family of the late Margaret Halliwell has revealed that she was also sexually harassed by Berlin. She did not report it; she felt secure that Berlin’s stature would protect him. So admired was he that he held the status of Officer of the Order of Canada.

Lukman’s decision to speak out has gained added visibility from the release earlier this year of violinist and activist Lara St. John’s documentary Dear Lara about her similar experience as a young student at The Curtis Institute. Lukman’s petition calling for an independent investigation into abuse at the RCM has attracted more than 2,000 signatures. “The aim is not just to hold those responsible to account,” the petition states, “but to ensure that robust safeguarding measures are established…. We cannot allow institutions to hide behind their legacy while survivors carry the burden alone.”

In response, on April 24, the RCM recognized the seriousness of the allegations, announcing an internal review and its openness to a third-party investigation. But Biss felt it was inadequate. “At the time I resigned, no independent investigation had been launched, and no schoolwide conversation had taken place,” he wrote. “Anything short of a third-party investigation would be woefully inadequate.”

“Moral courage is a shared responsibility,” he concluded. “If a 15-year-old student can summon the strength to speak out, surely institutions can act decisively to protect others.” Biss’s action, as well as Lukman’s, have once again reminded the classical music world of the need for accountability over reputation and stature in matters of abuse, especially in the teacher-student relationship.

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