The Rochester Beacon first wrote about Victoria Visiko last January, when she debuted her play “Whispering Inhibitions.” The play delved into multiple experiences of sexual abuse suffered by Visiko during her childhood and early adulthood, and the lasting emotional damage of those events.
One incident absent from the play is the one Visiko alleges she suffered at the hands of her music teacher at East High, Edwin Fleming. After reading news stories in November about a lawsuit filed against Fleming, now 87, and the Rochester City School District by two anonymous women accusing Fleming of multiple acts of sexual abuse, Visiko decided to step forward.
In fact, up to six more women now have come forward as a result of the news coverage of the initial lawsuit against Fleming, a prominent teacher at West and East high schools in the 1970s and through the early 1980s. The growing allegations against Fleming –the father of internationally renowned lyric soprano Renée Fleming – now include rape, forcible oral sex and groping.
At this point, Visiko is the only accuser to come out publicly with her real name. As told to the Beacon in an in-depth recorded interview (link below), Visiko first began interacting with Fleming during her freshman year of high school. The lingering hugs from Fleming grew longer over time, eventually culminating in an explosive unwanted touching incident when Visiko was 17.
In this 25-minute audio interview, Visiko tells her story.