Former pupils at the prestigious £45,000-a-year Yehdi Menuhin music school have made fresh claims of sex abuse at the institution.
Star violinist Nigel Kennedy, himself a former pupil, had claimed in 2013 that pianist Marcel Gazelle – the school’s founding music director – had abused pupils as young as 10 in the 1960s.
In March, the long-awaited report by the nationwide Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) that was set up by the Government shed light on other accusations, and the Surrey-based school’s alleged reluctance to take action.
Now, 14 ex pupils have spoken out, making allegations of sexual, emotional and physical abuse against 15 members of staff that are said to have occurred between 1964 and 2007.
Former pupils at the prestigious £45,000-a-year Yehdi Menuhin music school have made fresh claims of sex abuse at the institution. Star violinist Nigel Kennedy (above), himself a former pupil, had claimed in 2013 that pianist Marcel Gazelle – the school’s founding music director – had abused pupils as young as 10 in the 1960s
In 2019, the school received a notice from the Department for Education, accusing it of ‘serious regulatory failings’ related to safeguarding.
Malcolm Johnson, Head of Lime Solicitors abuse department that is representing the 14 former pupils, said: ‘It’s time for the Yehudi Menuhin School to face up to its past.
‘Only by doing so can it safeguard pupils in the present and the future.
‘This is a school to which parents entrusted their children, in the belief that their musical ability would be nurtured and advanced.
‘Sadly, the abuse that these children suffered, has blighted their lives and their musical careers.
‘We have invited the school to reach out to us and deal with these allegations as soon as possible.’
The Menuhin School was founded in 1964 by Yehudi Menuhin with the help of pianist Marcel Gazelle, who was later claimed to be a sexual abuser
Mr Kennedy, now 66, made claims against his former school as a Channel 4 News investigation exposed allegations of abuse. The violinist said Gazelle (above), who died in 1969, was a ‘repeat offender’
Mr Kennedy, now 66, made claims against his former school as a Channel 4 News investigation exposed allegations of abuse.
The violinist said Gazelle, who died in 1969, was a ‘repeat offender’.
Speaking to Channel 4 News at the time, he said: ‘I just know that Marcel Gazelle was a repeat offender and it wasn’t a one-off thing.
‘It’s a disgrace really that people’s trust has been abused in such a way… The children themselves, their trust, the parents’ trust, people’s belief in music as being a pure form of art, this whole ethos can be abused by one sick selfish person is very, very disturbing.’
Irita Kutchmy, who studied with Gazelle from the age of nine to twelve, told the broadcaster his behaviour had a ‘very detrimental’ effect on her.
She said: ‘I felt he was a very powerful person… I just remember feeling like I was sort of like his property, his pupil and therefore what he said went.
A young Nigel Kennedy is seen being taught at the school by its founder Yehudi Menuhin
‘It didn’t appear to me to be weird that he came up to wake us up in the morning. It was just the way it was at the school… he would tickle me under the sheets… his hands were on my bare skin where they shouldn’t be.’
Two other women who claimed to have been abused by Gazelle also spoke out.
One of them said she reported his behaviour to the school at the time and was told to avoid being on her own with him.
The Yehudi Menuhin School said at the time it was ‘shocked and saddened to learn of the allegations’.
The school told Channel 4 News: ‘We have checked the records which survive from 50 years ago and can find nothing about any concerns expressed at the time.’
Its statement in response to the IICSA’s report in March said: ‘There is no place for conduct of this kind in the Yehudi Menuhin School or in any residential music school and we condemn the abuse described in the report.’
Another woman who was a pupil at one of the music schools in the 1990s told the programme her teacher flirted with her frequently, before making a pass at her after a lesson at his home.
Mr Kennedy (pictured above in 1964) said in 2013: ‘It’s a disgrace really that people’s trust has been abused in such a way… The children themselves, their trust, the parents’ trust, people’s belief in music as being a pure form of art, this whole ethos can be abused by one sick selfish person is very, very disturbing’
She said: ‘I can remember it very vividly. The lesson was over, I was leaving. He then shut the blinds in the front room, which I thought – well you know, that’s a very odd thing to do – why would he do that?
‘And his words were, “I’m going to kick myself if I don’t do this” and proceeded to kiss me.’
She said she lost her virginity to her teacher when she was just 17 years old.
At least three pupils at the same school say they were sexually involved with the same teacher, Channel 4 reported.
The Menuhin School was founded in 1964 by Yehudi Menuhin with the help of Gazelle.
It now has 86 students and 50 members of staff. Other famous alumni include Mr Kennedy’s fellow violinist Nicola Benedetti, 35.
A spokesperson for Yehudi Menuhin School said: ‘The school takes any allegation of this nature extremely seriously, and these claims are being dealt with as a matter of urgency.
‘Since they are currently the subject of legal proceedings, however, we are unable to comment on them in any detail at the moment.’