EXCLUSIVE: Guildhall settles legal case with acclaimed conductor

A prestigious conservatoire has settled a series of claims made by an acclaimed conductor that were due to be heard at an employment tribunal next week.

The claimant, Peter Ash, was Artistic Director of the London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) for 20 years before being dismissed in October 2021 by Guildhall School of Music and Drama, which runs the youth orchestra.

A spokesperson for Guildhall told Arts Professional that the “matter that was due to be heard by the employment tribunal next week has concluded and the hearing will therefore not be proceeding”.

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The spokesperson added that Ash is now engaged as a freelance orchestral conductor at Centre for Young Musicians, which is one of the school’s Guildhall Young Artists centres.

American-born Ash, who graduated from Guildhall, has conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Lisbon Opera and Los Angeles Opera. His work leading LSSO saw him take the youth ensemble on tour across Europe, Turkey and Japan.

According to court listings published earlier this week, Ash was bringing a total of six claims against Guildhall, including ones for unfair dismissal, breach of contract and failure to allow for statutory annual leave entitlement.

He also claimed he suffered detriment and/or dismissal after exercising rights under the Public Interest Disclosure Act – legislation to protect whistleblowers.

There were further claims that he either wasn’t paid fully or unauthorised deductions were made, and that the respondent failed to provide a written statement of terms and conditions and any subsequent changes to those terms.

When asked by Arts Professional if Guildhall offered a settlement fee to Ash in concluding the case, and whether or not they accepted liability to any of the six claims during the process, the conservatoire declined to comment.

“Some of the claims had been determined following a preliminary hearing earlier in the year and the remaining claims have now been concluded,” the spokesperson said.

“We expect a judgement from the Employment Tribunal in due course dismissing the claim upon withdrawal.”

The employment tribunal had been scheduled to begin next Tuesday (25 April) in Central London.

Controversial dismissal

Ash's dismissal was controversial at the time, leading to an outpouring of support and a petition for him to be reinstated.

In its report of his dismissal, classical music blog Slipped Disc referred to Ash as “a first-class coach who has raised the orchestra to exceptional standards over the past twenty years”.

Members of the LSSO community launched a petition to reinstate Ash, stating he had become “an unwitting casualty of the internal politics of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama”.

An open letter shared by Slipped Disc in November 2021 stated: “Peter’s contribution, covering a period amounting to nearly 30% of the orchestra’s entire history, has been immense”.

“The signatories of this letter wish it to be known publicly that Peter has our full support and that, under [then Interim Principal Jonathan Vaughan’s] leadership, Guildhall School of Music and Drama appears to have scored a spectacular own goal by pushing the LSSO’s greatest asset out of his job, an action which we find incomprehensible and profoundly unsatisfactory.”