DETROIT, MICH.–Stephen Lord, principal conductor at the Michigan Opera Theatre the past three years, has resigned under pressure from plausible allegations of sexual harassment and using his position to request sexual favors–behavior spanning decades.

The allegations against Lord, 70, were published Tuesday in the Twin Cities Arts Reader, after a year-long investigation into sexual abuse in the opera world by Basil Considine, its performing arts editor and classical music and drama critic. Considine is a clarion reporter in a journalism field usually limited to reviews and glorifying artistic power.

The account cites email and electronic messages provided to Considine by victims in which it claims Lord promised career advancement in exchange for sex. “If you sleep with me,” read one, “you would have so many jobs.”

Michigan Opera Theatre said in a press release that Lord resigned because of allegations of behavior “which do not align with the Company’s values and standards.”

President and CEO Wayne S. Brown said, “Stephen has had a long and successful relationship with Michigan Opera Theatre, and we appreciate his artistic leadership, especially in his last three years as Principal Conductor.” 

Also on Wednesday, the website of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where Lord was music director emeritus, also announced his resignation.

Lord’s resignation leaves the company without a principal conductor, an artistic director and marketing and communications chief. And soon it will be without a chief development officer.  These changes all follow the death of MOT founder David DiChiera last September.