The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra says it will no longer use confidentiality agreements in sexual misconduct cases.
This comes after a former member of the orchestra, Esther Hwang, breached her non-disclosure agreement and went public with accusations that she had been raped by one of its senior musicians, then faced retaliation from the orchestra.
An open letter signed by VSO president Angela Elster and the symphony society’s board of directors says they regret the “suffering” endured by Hwang, who spoke out last month about the alleged attack she says took place several years ago.
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“The past six years of my life, just dealing with this, in silence and shame,” Hwang told Global News in December 2025.
“And so, it’s been quite hard to heal with the NDA in place.”
At the time of the attack, Hwang said she signed the NDA and received a payment of $7,100, with the understanding that the alleged perpetrator was removed.
She said she felt coerced into signing the NDA.
After going public with her story, the VSO threatened legal action against Hwang, which has since been withdrawn.
The organization told Global News in part that “our concern is that this breach publicly identifies specific individuals currently employed by the VSO in connection with unproven allegations.”
“We, of course, appreciate the perspectives on the use of NDA and the law around them are evolving.”
The VSO open letter says that, in the future, it will only use one-way confidentiality agreements if requested by the complainant.
Vancouver police confirmed in late December that they are investigating the historic abuse allegations.
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