We had no idea

Boris Berlin

Boris Berlin played piano and was a composer.

In 2026, The Toronto Star published allegations of child sexual abuse by renowned pedagogue Boris Berlin against his 15-year-old student at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). Two months later, acclaimed pianist Jonathan Biss resigned his post at RCM in protest over perceived inaction in response to the allegations. The Toronto Star named a second accuser posthumously based on interviews with her family. RCM announced an investigation following the resignation. Berlin died in 2001.
Boris Berlin

Affiliations


NB: To give a more complete picture of a person's impact on the field, we endeavor to list prominent, long-held, and current affiliations regardless of when any alleged incidents occurred.

Articles

  1. Lukman, Lusiana (February 7, 2026). Lusiana Lukman: Boris Berlin sexually abused me during my piano lessons when I was 15. Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 7, 2026.

  2. Wolf, Chris (April 28, 2026). Jonathan Biss resigns from The Royal Conservatory of Music over abuse response controversy. Classic107. Archived from the original on April 29, 2026.

  3. Dundas, Deborah (April 28, 2026). She told her daughters she was abused by Boris Berlin. Now this Toronto family is among those calling on the Royal Conservatory to take action. Toronto Star. Archived from the original on April 28, 2026.

  4. Biss, Jonathan (April 28, 2026). I joined the Royal Conservatory of Music last year and resigned seven months later. After its handling of abuse allegations, I felt I had no other choice. Toronto Star. Archived from the original on April 28, 2026.

<< Prev Next >>