“Music... will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
As many of you know from the last year’s events, and in spite of an even larger worldwide problem now, I have had to post, for reasons of legal time limits, a statement fashioned by me and my lawyer to set this record straight to anyone interested in reading it.
The writer of the article to which I refer is named Basil Considine, someone who fancies himself a writer of note. As you can see, this is not the case. He also fancies himself an impresario. The quality of his work can be found by following the link enclosed here. He was equally successful in Boston with his artistic efforts. Once viewed, you will understand why he had to make his mark on the back of a more successful individual.
Stephen Lord Statement
On June 18, 2019, the Twin Cities Arts Reader published an extensive article containing anonymous allegations of sexual harassment and impropriety on my part. I was accused of explicitly trading sexual favors with male singers in return for promised career advancement and roles in various productions with which I was associated.
None of these allegations are true. My reputation, patiently built up over nearly half a century of conducting at major opera companies in America and elsewhere around the world, was maliciously attacked and literally destroyed overnight on the basis of the patently false allegations in this one article.
Despite the promise of fairness and journalistic equity by the Twin Cities Arts Reader, I was not contacted for comment before the article appeared, nor was I ever given a chance to respond or tell my side of the story. Finally, I have a belated chance to do so here.
First, let me respond to the anonymous, and frankly cowardly, accusations against me:
1. Over my lengthy professional career, I never let any sort of favoritism, including sexual favoritism, in any way influence my artistic or professional decisions. I never cast people on the basis of any sort of sexual relationship (or promise of one), nor did I treat any singer or other musician differently in any way based on a sexual relationship, attraction or promise. Moreover, I completely, totally and utterly deny any allegations of sexual harassment.
2. People who read the June, 2019 Twin Cities Arts Reader article promptly declared me guilty, without trial and without proof. I have lost significant jobs and artistic opportunities solely on the basis that I might make other musicians “uncomfortable.” However, neither before nor after the article was published has anyone to my knowledge ever complained, either formally or informally, to any of the arts organizations or venues with which I was associated over my long career. If, unbeknownst to me one of these organizations did conduct an investigation, it turned up no evidence of any impropriety on my part. Even after the appearance of the article in the Twin Cities Arts Reader, no one has come forward with an accusation against me, nor has anyone come forward with any factual basis to support or otherwise substantiate the anonymous accusations irresponsibly set forth in the article.
3. A number of courageous people have, however, been willing to say that they disbelieved the allegations. Most notably, a senior administrator at the English National Opera, where I conducted four productions, came forward, of his own accord and without any prompting by me, to deliver the following extraordinary statement:
John McMurray, former head of casting at English National Opera: “I have no comment to make on the allegations made by Basil Considine against Stephen Lord as I know nothing about them nor have seen any of the evidence which Mr Considine says he has. However, as ENO’s Head of Casting and then Senior Artistic Adviser between 2006-2017, I was involved in Stephen Lord’s engagement to conduct four productions for ENO. I worked closely with him on these productions, dating back to 2009, I have served with him on competition panels, and I have participated in masterclasses with him in addition to innumerable informal conversations about singers. Throughout this time not only have I never had any cause to be concerned about his behaviour but nor have I heard from singers or other colleagues any hint of such behaviour. In contrast the opera world is small and I cannot immediately think of any previous “metoo” case which particularly surprised me.
What I am certain of is Stephen’s complete artistic integrity. I do not believe he would promote any artist in whose talent he did not believe and nor would he advocate against one for non-artistic reasons. In all my dealings with him I have never had any sense of an ulterior motive in our discussions of singers. I could not say the same for every other conductor or director I have encountered.”
Mr. McMurray’s statement was printed in a widely read English music blog, which had made journalistic capital out of the initial story but, unlike the Twin Cities Arts Reader, at least had the decency to print the administrator’s statement in its entirety.
4. The internet has made quick work out of spreading this poison beyond the bounds of sanity. One person said he heard I was accused of molesting forty women; since I have never been secretive about my own sexual orientation, this absurd rumor might even be laughable if it was not so offensive. Nowadays, it passes for truth, and that has meant that my opportunities to work essentially dried up even before the coronavirus pandemic.
5. Finally, I want to call attention to what I believe was the improper motivation of the Twin Cities Arts Reader article. I suspect that it may have been primarily instigated by an individual who wished to inflict financial damage on me and derail my career. Though I was given no opportunity to respond or comment before the article appeared, my then current employers were tipped off to its appearance in advance. Additionally, the prime instigator of the accusations in the article was a woman who was outraged that I would not immediately terminate the artistic employment of a male singer -- her former boyfriend -- whom she had accused of sexual harassment; it became easy work for her to transfer that accusation of sexual misconduct and harassment to me. She thereafter boasted of destroying my career as well as his.
I can only hope that readers will judge all this fairly for themselves, and that, just as the health pandemic will eventually end, one or more arts institutions will have the courage to deal in fact rather than inuendo and allow me to pursue the music which has been my lifelong vocation and avocation.
Stephen Lord