classical music must protect the vulnerable from harassment

The cult of the maestro has both nurtured great performances and led to abuses of power. The industry needs a code of conduct – and a change of culture – or its future is at stake, writes mezzo Jennifer JohnstonThe seriousness of the allegations swirling around James Levine, the erstwhile music director of the Metropolitan Opera, has precipitated the classical music industry to ask uncomfortable questions of itself, in particular about the cultural legitimisation of abusive behaviour