1996 Sex Case Prompts New N.J. Symphony Head to Resign
January 14, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
The president of the New Jersey Symphony stepped down Friday after nine days on the job, saying media attention to a 16-year-old sex offense threatened to “harm the organization” and affect his family, reports The New York Times.
Richard Dare, 48, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years’ probation in 1996 after being charged in California with an “attempted lewd act upon” a then-15-year-old girl, who is now his wife. The case was dismissed in 1999, and Mr. Dare subsequently built a career as an entrepreneur, joining the classical-music world in 2011 as chief executive of the Brooklyn Philharmonic.
New Jersey Symphony co-chairman Stephen Sichak said orchestra officials knew of the ’96 case when Mr. Dare was appointed but that “friends of the symphony” began expressing concerns about public perceptions of the hire. The Times had been investigating Mr. Dare’s background, including questions about his claimed business accomplishments.
