ST. LOUIS — Stephen Lord, the Music Director Emeritus of Opera Theatre of St. Louis, resigned Tuesday after allegations of sexual harassment were reported by a music publication in Minnesota.
The St. Louis Opera Theatre announced Stephen Lord's resignation in a statement on their website.
“We are shocked to learn of the serious allegations made against Mr. Lord. There is no place for harassment of any kind at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and we have strict policies in place for dealing with such matters,” Andrew R. Jorgensen, the General Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, said in the statement.
The allegations, as reported by the Twin Cities Arts Reader, show "pervasive sexual harassment behaviors by Lord over the past decade." The report said the allegations were discovered as part of an investigation into sexual harassment in the opera industry.
The statement from the Opera Theatre of St. Louis said it has not received any complaints against Lord, but said it would launch an independent investigation.
Lord — who was named one of the "25 Most Powerful Names in U.S. Opera" by Opera News — joined the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Head of Music Staff in 1980. According to an archived version of his bio, he was named Artistic Advisor to the General Director in 1983 and Music Director in 1991. He also served as conductor for Opera Theatre of St. Louis starting in 1986.
In addition to his roled at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Lord was the Principal Conductor of Michigan Opera Theatre. He resigned from that position, as well.