Renowned English conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner has announced that he will withdraw from all future 2023 engagements and seek counselling after accusations that he struck a singer in the face last week.

John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists.

Gardiner reportedly hit 29-year-old British bass William Thomas in the face after the singer exited the stage on the wrong side after a Paris performance of Berlioz’s Les Troyens, accompanied by Gardiner’s Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.

“I am taking a step back in order to get the specialist help I recognise that I have needed for some time,” said Gardiner in a statement.

“I want to apologise to colleagues who have felt badly treated and anyone who may feel let down by my decision to take time out to address my issues. I am heartbroken to have caused so much distress and I am determined to learn from my mistakes”.

The conductor, 80, was scheduled to appear on tour at venues across...