Singer David Daniels no longer in singers’ union following guilty plea to sexual assault

NEW YORK (AP) — Countertenor David Daniels is no longer a member of the union for singers following his guilty plea to a charge of sexual assault.

The 57-year-old and his husband, Scott Walters, pleaded guilty to sexual assault of an adult, a second-degree felony, in Houston’s Harris County District Court on Aug. 4. Their accuser was aspiring opera singer Sam Schultz.

They both were sentenced to eight years’ probation and required to register as sex offenders.

American Guild of Musical Artists spokeswoman Alicia Cook said Daniels is no longer a member of the union. Matt Hennessy, a Houston-based lawyer for Daniels, did not respond with a comment when contacted by AP.

Schultz said the move by the union against Daniels was “a step in the right direction,” but noted it took three years to take action.

“Their delay indicates that AGMA does not yet care about abuses within its industry,” Schultz said.

Daniels was fired as a University of Michigan professor and was removed by the San Francisco Opera from a production of Handel’s “Orlando.”