MONTREAL (OSM) - Conductor Charles Dutoit, who led the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal (OSM) to international acclaim over the past 25 years, has quit, the Grammy Award-winning orchestra said Thursday.

His resignation as musical director of the symphony caps a bitter personality dispute between maestro and musicians.
"The management strongly deplores the situation and regrets the circumstances that led to Mr. Dutoit's decision," the OSM said in a statement.

The sudden resignation of Dutoit, 65, came three days after the union representing the orchestra's 100 musicians accused him in an open letter of "harassment, offensive behavior and complete lack of respect." The union has been in wage contract talks with orchestra management for several months.

Dutoit announced his resignation in a letter issued by his personal assistant Wednesday night. In the letter, produced while Dutoit was in Philadelphia for a concert, Dutoit cited "hostile statements" made by the head of the Quebec Musicians' Guild.

Emile Subirana, president of the guild, dismissed Dutoit's statement Thursday, saying his comments in the union letter from Monday letter simply reflected the musicians' long-held anger and frustration over treatment by the conductor.
"They demanded an immediate change of behavior on the part of Mr. Dutoit. Instead, they obtained his resignation," Subirana said in a statement.
"In the circumstances, that was the best solution and the most honest."
The orchestra said it would call meetings of its executive Thursday and board of directors Friday to determine how to proceed.
"The OSM's management wishes to ensure that, if Mr. Dutoit leaves his post, his departure will be managed in a harmonious way," the orchestra said.

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1936, Dutoit has been music director of the OSM since 1977. Under Dutoit's tenure, the orchestra produced more than 75 recordings on the Decca/London label, won dozens of awards, including two Grammys, and attracted international audiences in popular touring performances.

The orchestra's 2002-2003 season, its 69th, was built around Dutoit's 25th anniversary, lining up guests such as violinists Itzhak Perlman and Maxim Vengerov and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Dutoit was to conduct 24 programs for 35 concerts in the upcoming season.

In addition to his Montreal post, Dutoit has also been the music director of the Orchestre National de France since 1990 and of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo since 1998. For the past 10 years, he has also been the artistic director and principal conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra's concert series in Saratoga Springs, New York.