Definition: In this task, you will be presented with a passage and have to answer a question based on your understanding of the events inferred from the passage. Try to find the best answer that is most likely to fill in "_". Note that the URLs in the text have been replaced with [Link].
Input: (CNN) James Levine, the acclaimed conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, told The New York Times that accusations of sexual misconduct were "unfounded." "As understandably troubling as the accusations noted in recent press accounts are, they are unfounded," Levine told The Times on Thursday evening in a written statement. "As anyone who truly knows me will attest, I have not lived my life as an oppressor or an aggressor." Levine did not respond to repeated requests for comment from CNN. The denial comes just days after The Times reported that three men had come forward and accused Levine, 74, of sexually abusing them in a time period stretching from the 1960s to the 1980s, during the early parts of his career at the Met. The three accusers were under the age of 18 when the sexual encounters occurred, according to the newspaper.Three men had accused conductor James Levine of sexual misconductThe esteemed leader of the Metropolitan Opera was suspended earlier this week 
 Question:The _ announced on Sunday that it was suspending its relationship with Levine, pending an investigation.

Metropolitan Opera