As dusk settled over Bryant Park, the conductor Leon Botstein walked slowly across the stage, settling into a stool in front of the American Symphony Orchestra. Nearly 80 minutes later, Mr. Botstein, with a wave and a suggestion of a smile, walked off the stage to respectful applause. For Mr. Botstein, this warm reception may prove little more than a brief moment of respite.
After a half-century as a prominent figure in academia and music, Mr. Botstein, 79, was forced to retire in June as the president of Bard College, a post he had held since 1975. That came in the face of detailed revelations in Justice Department documents about his longstanding friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including a visit by Mr. Botstein to Mr. Epstein’s island retreat and exchanges of friendly notes, even after Mr. Epstein’s conviction on solicitation of a minor for prostitution. The college’s independent review, conducted by the law firm Wilmer Hale, found that Mr. Botstein had done nothing illegal but said that his relationship with Mr. Epstein raised concerns about his leadership.
But Mr. Botstein, embattled and polarizing, has held on. He has continued to teach at Bard, remains the artistic co-director of the Bard Music Festival, runs The Orchestra Now, and leads the American Symphony Orchestra. He continues to live at the official college home for the president. College officials said he was being provided housing in part as recognition of his long service to Bard.
Mr. Botstein’s decision to hang on in such prominent positions has caused distress. Current and former staff members of the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts signed an open letter asking the board to “not further engage Leon Botstein in any contract related to music and performing arts activity at Bard College.” Moira Donegan, a columnist for The Guardian who was an undergraduate at Bard, said that “Botstein’s ongoing connection to Bard reflects the institutional values of the college, which has shown throughout this saga that it prizes Botstein’s cult of personality over the safety and dignity of women students.”
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