Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music to investigate historic sexual abuse allegations

TORONTO —

The Royal Conservatory of Music will launch an independent investigation into allegations that one of its most prominent teachers sexually abused students in the 1970s and ’80s, the organization said Friday.

Their decision comes months after a former student published an essay accusing Boris Berlin of abusing her when she was a teenager, and a week after the music education and performance institute announced it was considering the option.

“We have heard the calls for action clearly from our community, and we are committed to responding with transparency as this work progresses,” said Tim Price, chair of the board, in a written statement.

In an email, a spokesman for the Conservatory said nobody with the institution was available for an interview.

“This is an active investigation and we cannot share details right now. The scope and timeline of the external investigation is still being determined,” Mihira Lakshman wrote.

The organization said it had completed an internal review, which Lakshman said started in early February.

That’s when music teacher Lusiana Lukman published a first-person essay in the Toronto Star in which she accused Berlin of abusing her during piano lessons when she was 15 years old. She said that she reported the abuse to a higher-up at the Conservatory at the time, but no action was taken.

Berlin, who died in 2001, was a famed pianist and recipient of the Order of Canada. He taught with the Conservatory for more than 70 years and helped them develop their approach to teaching piano.

The Star also published a story this week about a woman who had told her daughters before her death in 2023 that she was abused by Berlin during piano lessons. The same day, pianist Jonathan Biss announced in the paper that he had resigned from his post at the Conservatory over its handling of the allegations.

The Royal Conservatory said its next step is to examine more historical records, which it said is complicated by the fact that the allegations date back to before 1991, when the organization was owned and operated by the University of Toronto.

It said it will work with the university to go through the records. After that, it said, it would launch the independent third-party investigation.

“While our response to date may have felt distant or slow, please know that the heart of this institution is devastated,” said Rayla Myhal, vice-chair of the board of directors, in the statement.

“We have not been hiding behind silence but deciding on a path that will bring meaningful action, and answers, for any survivors of sexual abuse.”

The conservatory says it has a zero-tolerance policy toward harassment, abuse and misconduct and that it regularly reviews its policies. It said it wants to ensure students and community members “feel safe coming forward, know where to turn, and trust that concerns will be heard and acted upon.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.

-with files from Kathryn Mannie

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press