The opera lover who sparked a terrorism scare by scattering a friend’s ashes at New York’s Metropolitan Opera has apologized for his operatic gesture.
Dallas resident Roger Kaiser said in a letter to the Met general manager, Peter Gelb, and “the entire Metropolitan Opera community” that he had promised a cancer-stricken friend in 2012 he would scatter his ashes at various opera houses.
Kaiser said he told his friend that “he would be there forever enjoying all the beautiful music”.
He said his “sweet gesture to a dying friend” went “completely and utterly wrong”.
The Met halted a performance of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell on Saturday after some musicians reported seeing Kaiser sprinkle a powdery substance into the orchestra pit during the second intermission. A later performance of another opera also was canceled as police investigated.
Police contacted Kaiser after learning his identity but he was not charged with a crime.
Kaiser apologized for inadvertently creating a disturbance.
“As a devoted opera enthusiast the reality of the situation weighs heavily on me,” he said.
Gelb responded that he appreciated the sincerity of Kaiser’s apology even though his actions caused the Met anxious hours, disappointed the audiences of both operas and cost thousands of dollars.
He added: “I trust that your future visits to the Met will be without incident, and that you will continue to proselytize about your love of opera to all who will listen.”