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BREAKING NEWS: Stephen Lord Resigns From Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

by Twin Cities Arts Reader -

Following last night’s publication of an investigative feature on Stephen Lord, the American conductor has resigned from his positions at Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Statements from both organizations follow.

MOT’s complete statement reads:

Michigan Opera Theatre announced today that its Principal Conductor Stephen Lord has resigned from the company, effective immediately. MOT accepted the resignation following public allegations of Lord’s past behavior, which do not align with the Company’s values and standards.

“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,” said MOT President and CEO Wayne S. Brown.

MOT’s 2019-20 season begins in Oct. 12 at the Detroit Opera House.

OTSL’s complete statement reads:

We are shocked to learn of the serious allegations made against Stephen Lord in an online publication on June 18th. 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.

We have not received any complaints or reports of harassment against this company member at our organization, but we take any allegation of possible misconduct extremely seriously. Given the serious nature of these allegations, we will be conducting a full and thorough independent investigation into this matter. 

Effective June 18th, Mr. Lord tendered his resignation, which has been accepted by Opera Theatre.

Andrew Jorgensen
General Director
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Stephen Lord was accused of sexual harassment and other misbehavior.

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