University officials removed D. Kern Holoman’s distinguished professor and emeritus titles after his alleged victim, then a college freshman, spoke up three decades after the alleged assault. Holoman, 70, had served as a longtime conductor and music instructor for the orchestra.
The student, Danny Gray, now a 50-year-old UC Davis administrator, in December said he decided to go public after the #Metoo movement became prominent. In a blog post, Gray described the alleged incidents from Holoman that he said started in 1987 with being sexually assault in a hot tub and continued for four years.
Holoman denied any wrongdoing in a statement. “I am distressed and deeply apologetic for my role in any event that has harmed Danny Gray in any way, and heartsick at the thought of harm that has festered for 30 years,” Holoman wrote in a statement to Gray that was sent by Holoman’s attorney, Steven Sabbadini. “Our memories of that time differ markedly, but the remorse is very real. I continue to treasure memories of our long friendship and its focus on the beauties of art, literature and history.”
Also in December, the current conductor of the orchestra, Christian Baldini, was placed on unpaid administrative leave following a university investigation. That investigation revealed that Baldini subjected an undergraduate student to unwanted sexual conduct, The Sacramento Bee reports, citing a document it obtained.
The university started investigating Baldini, 39, in May after the student said he kissed her on the cheek, pressed against her buttocks while teaching her how to dance tango and referred to her as a “bad girl” in one office visit. The university had suspended Baldini for four months, starting in December, and has prohibited him from being on university grounds without authorization.
Baldini said the incident is a misunderstanding and expressed regret. “My faults are failing to recognize that my behavior could have a reaction in her that was unintended,” Baldini wrote in a statement “I feel contrite and remorseful that one of my students would have felt this way by something I did, and I deeply apologize for any stress and pain I may have caused.”