Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Fires Controversial Flutist Who Had Spread Conspiracy Theories

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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has dismissed a longtime flutist aft months of issues with her arguable societal media posts.

“Principal Flutist Emily Skala has been dismissed from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra successful accordance with the progressive subject argumentation agreed to successful our corporate bargaining statement with the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore Local 40-543, AFM,” BSO President and CEO Peter Kjome said successful a statement. “Ms. Skala has had subject imposed upon her implicit these past fewer months; unfortunately, she has repeated the behaviour for which she had been antecedently disciplined, and dismissal was the indispensable and due absorption to this behavior.”

Skala had a past of sharing conspiracy theories astir the coronavirus and the 2020 election. The BSO’s issues with Skala spilled into the nationalist sphere successful February, erstwhile the orchestra publically distanced itself from her views.

The Baltimore Symphony would similar to admit attentions raised to the idiosyncratic societal media accounts of Principal Flutist Emily Skala. While we bash not remark connected interior unit matters, we besides bash not condone nor enactment the words oregon sentiments expressed successful these posts.

— Baltimore Symphony (@BaltSymphony) February 13, 2021

She had claimed COVID-19 was made successful a laboratory successful North Carolina and sold to a laboratory successful Wuhan, China, wherever it was past planted successful a bedewed market. The archetypal confirmed quality infections were successful Wuhan. However, the microorganism is thought to person a earthy origin, apt jumping from bats to humans. The anticipation it mightiness person accidentally been released from a laboratory remains nether investigation.

Skala reportedly besides made incendiary comments successful interior emails. She defended herself successful a March missive to The Baltimore Sun and claimed absorption had created a hostile enactment environment.

“I had posted accusation from what I recognize to beryllium peer-reviewed studies, autarkic journalists and licensed aesculapian doctors who weren’t chosen to beryllium presented connected our mainstream channels, on with acquisition videos and charts,” Skala wrote. “These pieces contradict what we are being told done wide media.”

On Tuesday, Skala told the Sun she believed the incidental that precipitated her firing came July 23, erstwhile she went to Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall to manus successful her caller W-4 taxation signifier and did not person a disguise with her. When she discovered her cardinal paper had been deactivated, she said, she tried to unfastened the door. She said she had been barred from the gathering and said she believes absorption was looking for a crushed to terminate her.

“From February until now, the BSO has repeatedly violated my law rights successful effect to assemblage and donor and subscriber pressure,” Skala told the paper. “They’ve committed galore crimes against me, nary of which they person acknowledged adjacent to themselves. It would not beryllium close to fto that spell unaccounted for. I would hatred for this to hap to anyone else.”

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Skala was appointed main flutist successful 1988. She joined the module of the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University successful 1989. She has performed connected a fig of recordings and released a solo medium successful 2002.