One of the most celebrated and powerful men in the world of opera has been accused of trying to pressure women into sexual relationships by dangling jobs and then punishing them professionally if they refused his advances.

In all, eight singers and a dancer have told the Associated Press they were sexually harassed in encounters with Domingo that took place over three decades beginning in the late 1980s.

The 78 year old is the conductor and the director of the Los Angeles Opera, a multiple Grammy winner and an immensely respected figure who colleagues say works tirelessly to promote the art form.

Domingo released a statement that reads “The allegations from these unnamed individuals are deeply troubling, and as presented, inaccurate.”