New York Philharmonic Dismisses 2 Players for Unspecified Misconduct

NEW YORK — The New York Philharmonic said Sunday that it had decided to fire two key players — its principal oboist, Liang Wang, and associate principal trumpet, Matthew Muckey — for unspecified misconduct. But it said it had delayed their dismissals while the musicians’ union reviewed the matter.

The orchestra said both players had been placed on unpaid leaves of absence for now, resulting in two important holes in the ensemble’s roster as it prepares for Thursday’s gala opening night concert, which will inaugurate the Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden’s first season as the music director of the Philharmonic.

No details of the allegations against the two players — including whether they involved sexual misconduct or not, and whether they related to on- or off-duty behavior — were provided.

The orchestra said in a terse statement only that after it had received reports that the two players had “engaged in misconduct,” it retained Barbara Jones, an attorney at Bracewell and a former federal judge, to investigate. An orchestra official said the investigation took five months.

“Following the investigation, the Philharmonic advised the musicians that their employment was terminated,” the orchestra said in the statement. “At the request of their union, the Philharmonic delayed the implementation of the termination and placed the musicians on an unpaid leave of absence pending the union’s review of the matter.”

The players’ union, Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, said in a brief statement only that it was “aware of and currently looking into this matter.”

Alan Lewis, an attorney representing Wang, said in an email that “Mr. Wang is extremely disappointed in the Philharmonic’s decision and emphatically denies that he engaged in any misconduct.”

Steven Hyman, a lawyer for Muckey, said that “Mr. Muckey has not engaged in any misconduct, and there is no legitimate basis by the New York Philharmonic to terminate him.”

Hyman added that Muckey intended to take “all steps necessary to restore his good name” and his position at the orchestra. “He looks forward to the union’s review of the matter and its pursuit of his rights under the collective bargaining agreement,” he said.

Wang joined the orchestra as its principal oboist in 2006 after a meteoric rise in the music world. It is a major post: He gives the other players the A pitch that they tune to, serves as de facto leader of the woodwinds and regularly plays solos. He has also taught at the Manhattan School of Music and New York University, and held honorary posts at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, according to his website.

“People are just so supportive of me, and allow me to express myself as an artist,” Wang, who was born in Qing Dao, China in 1980, told The New York Times in 2007.

Muckey, a native of Sacramento, California, who also joined the orchestra in 2006, did not immediately return emails seeking comment.

Deborah Borda, the president and chief executive officer of the orchestra, said in a statement that “the New York Philharmonic is committed to providing an environment of respect and dignity for all of our Philharmonic family.”