He said that "the rules and standards by which we are – and should be – measured against today are very different than they were in the past" and pledged to hold himself "to the highest standards."

Domingo occupies a unique position in the opera world. After shooting to fame as a star tenor – then reaching a far broader global audience as one of the Three Tenors, alongside Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras – he also became a conductor; founded the prestigious young artist competition Operalia; and began adding managerial positions, becoming the general director of Washington National Opera and then the Los Angeles Opera, a position he still holds. He also continues to have a prolific singing career in baritone roles.

These activities have made him one of the most influential figures in opera.

The Los Angeles Opera said in a statement that it would engage an outside counsel to investigate what it called "the concerning allegations" against Domingo.

"Plácido Domingo has been a dynamic creative force in the life of LA Opera and the artistic culture of Los Angeles for more than three decades," the opera company said in a statement. "Nevertheless, we are committed to doing everything we can to foster a professional and collaborative environment where all our employees and artists feel equally comfortable, valued and respected."

The AP spoke with eight singers and one dancer – all but one of whom were quoted anonymously – who said that Domingo had used his power to pursue them sexually. They described him as calling them repeatedly and making dates, often under the guise of offering professional advice. One accuser told the news agency that Domingo had stuck his hand down her skirt, and three others said that he had forced wet kisses on their lips, in a dressing room, a hotel room and at a lunch meeting.

One singer told the news agency that Domingo had repeatedly propositioned her at the Los Angeles Opera in 1998, the year the company announced that he would become its artistic director, eventually taking her to his apartment for what she described as "heavy petting" and "groping."

"I was totally intimidated and felt like saying no to him would be saying no to God," she was quoted as saying. "How do you say no to God?"

She told the news agency she eventually told him to stop calling her, adding that she was never hired again in LA after Domingo got power over casting.

Patricia Wulf, the only accuser named in the AP article, told The New York Times in a telephone interview that her experiences with Domingo also dated to 1998, when she appeared with Washington National Opera, where he was then general director, in The Magic Flute.

When Wulf left the stage during one rehearsal, she said, Domingo was waiting for her in the wings. He came up to her, she recalled, and said, "Patricia, do you have to go home tonight?"

Wulf said she laughed, thinking it was a joke, but later the situation repeated itself. "I remember thinking, 'That is not acceptable,'" she said.

Domingo did not inappropriately touch her, Wulf said, but he made her so uncomfortable that she hid in her dressing room and asked a colleague to walk her to her car so she did not have to risk encountering him. She said she did not report Domingo's behavior because she felt that doing so would damage her career.

She said she kept saying no to Domingo until he stopped, about two and a half years later.

In his statement, Domingo said, "People who know me or who have worked with me know that I am not someone who would intentionally harm, offend, or embarrass anyone."

The New York Times