Royal Opera House tenor, 42, is axed after ‘groping a female member of the chorus on stage in Tokyo in front of the watching audience’
- Vittorio Grigolo, 42, allegedly groped a female chorus member on Wednesday
- Source said the apparent incident took place ‘in full view of audience’ in Tokyo
- Royal Opera House confirmed Grigolo is suspended pending an investigation
An Italian tenor has been suspended from the Royal Opera House after he allegedly groped a female member of the chorus on stage ‘in full view of the audience’.
Vittorio Grigolo, 42, is said to have grabbed the singer during a curtain call after he performed in Tokyo, Japan with the company on Wednesday.
‘Horrified’ members of the chorus ‘implored’ the tenor to stop, but he ‘vehemently argued with them’, an insider said.
A source told The Sun: ‘It happened in full view of the audience. Members of the chorus implored him to stop and Grigolo vehemently argued with them. They were horrified by what happened.’
Vittorio Grigolo, 42, allegedly groped a female singer during a curtain call after he took to the stage in Tokyo, Japan with the Royal Opera House on Wednesday
Griogolo had been in the midst of a two-week tour of Japan at the time, but he was replaced by Russian tenor Georgy Vasiliev for the final performance in Yokohama on Sunday.
The Royal Opera House confirmed it is investigating the allegation, and said Grigolo has been suspended from his position while the investigation takes place.
A spokesperson said: ‘Following an alleged incident on September 18 involving Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, the Royal Opera House opened an immediate investigation and Mr Grigolo was suspended.
‘Horrified’ members of the chorus were said to have ‘implored’ the tenor to stop, but he ‘vehemently argued with them’, an insider said (Pictured: Grigolo with Mara Venier)
‘We are unable to comment further on this matter whilst this investigation is ongoing’.
The tenor had been appearing as the title character in Charles-Francois Gounod’s ‘Faust,’ based on the 19th century play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
He was joined by American soprano Rachel Willis-Sorensen, who made her debut in Japan as Marguerite, and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo as Mephistopheles.
The Royal Opera House confirmed Grigolo has been suspended as an investigation is set to place
The tenor began singing at four years old and, at nine, was made a soloist of the Sistine Chapel Choir in Vatican City.
He went on to share the stage with Luciano Pavarotti in a performance of Tosca when he was 13.
The vocalist has since appeared in numerous opera and classical productions across the globe, including starring as Romeo in Roméo et Juliette at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2017.
Grigolo was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Musical Show Album category in 2008 for his work on a 50th anniversary recording of West Side Story.
MailOnline has contacted a representative for Griogolo for comment.