Two musicians of the New York Philharmonic, oboist Liang Wang and trumpeter Matthew Muckey, accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women presently or formerly in the orchestra, have been fired after an investigation by an outside lawyer.
Wang and Mackey have been notified by the orchestra that they will not be rehired in the 2025-26 season, The New York Times’ Javier C. Hernández reports. They have been on paid leave since April, following publication by New York magazine of an article in which a former philharmonic horn player said that the two men had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct in 2010 during a tour engagement in Vail, Colorado.
Wang and Muckey have denied the charges and filed suit against the philharmonic for dismissal without just cause and the musicians’ union local for failing to represent them fairly.
“We have done the right thing and we have followed the letter of the law,” said Deborah Borda, the orchestra’s interim executive director. “The facts strongly supported our case.” Steven J. Hyman, a lawyer representing Muckey, called the inquiry a “sham investigation that could not substantiate cause.”
Following a 2018 inquiry into the two musicians’ conduct, the philharmonic fired Wang and Muckey, but reinstated them after arbitration. In the latest investigation, “11 women came forward with accusations against Mr. Wang, the Philharmonic said, and three against Mr. Muckey. The orchestra said the accusations ranged from inappropriate remarks to assault,” Hernández reports: