James David Christie has resigned from his post as an artist-in-residence at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester and is discontinuing his services at Wellesley College in Wellesley following allegations from several students who say they were sexually abused by the renowned organist.

The Boston Globe reported the allegations on Friday morning following interviews with several students from Holy Cross and Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio who described unwanted touching and manipulation by Christie.

Holy Cross President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs addressed the college community in an email Friday afternoon, saying he was "deeply saddened and disturbed" to read the accounts detailed in the Globe story.

"These alumni have shown tremendous courage to share their painful stories," Boroughs wrote. "I want them to know that I hear them."

Boroughs received a letter from some of Christie's accusers earlier this month and placed Christie on administrative leave that day, barring him from campus and from interacting with college community members, he wrote in the email.

"I also want to assure you that the College took immediate steps as soon as these alumni came forward with allegations against Mr. Christie. We did not, however, know all the details contained in today's story," Boroughs wrote.

Christie submitted his letter of resignation to Holy Cross last week.

Boroughs said he is committed to completing a review of Christie's conduct.

"Words are not enough in moments like these, and while it is true that I will hold these members of our community in my heart and prayers, I also vow that the College will be aggressive and thorough in pursuing a full review of the issues and behaviors articulated in the Globe article," Boroughs wrote. "You have my commitment to address this situation head on. In addition to completing our current review into these specific allegations, we will immediately undertake a thorough review of culture, structure and/or procedures at the College to prevent misconduct. If issues are found, we will address them. Quickly."

Anyone who wants to share their experiences, access support services or come forward with a report related to this matter or any other incident of sexual discrimination, harassment or assault, is asked to contact Tracy Kennedy, the College's Title IX Coordinator at 508-793-3336 or tkennedy@holycross.edu, Boroughs wrote.

In an email to the Wellesley College community Friday morning addressing the "serious allegations of sexual misconduct" against Christie, Wellesley College President Paula A. Johnson wrote that Christie has discontinued his services for the college, effective immediately.

"James David Christie served as Wellesley College's organist for many years, most recently as an independent contractor," Johnson wrote. "He was responsible for the maintenance of the College's organs and occasionally performed on campus at events such as Baccalaureate. We have no record of any complaints against him during his tenure at the College, and we were not previously aware of these allegations."

Johnson asked that anyone who knows of sexual misconduct affecting students or any other members of the Wellesley College community contact Sonia Jurado, who recently joined Wellesley on an interim basis as its dedicated Title IX coordinator.

"Wellesley College does not tolerate sexual harassment, which includes gender harassment, sexual assault, and sexual coercion," Johnson wrote in the email. "We are committed to providing a safe environment for our Wellesley students, faculty, and staff."

Christie has also reportedly resigned from his position at Oberlin.

"Oberlin College & Conservatory explicitly prohibits sexual relationships between faculty/staff and students. On Friday, August 10th, the Title IX Coordinator took a report alleging that James David Christie, Professor of Organ, had violated Oberlin's Sexual Misconduct Policy by engaging in inappropriate behavior with students," Oberlin College said in a statement. "The college informed Mr. Christie of these allegations on August 11 and immediately placed him on administrative leave pending an investigation, at which point he tendered his resignation. The investigation, supervised by the Title IX Coordinator, will move forward."

The Globe obtained an e-mail sent to Oberlin students, staff, and faculty in which conservatory dean Andrea Kalyn wrote that the school's Title IX officer had received reports that Christie allegedly violated the school's sexual misconduct policy.

"Professor Christie was informed of these allegations and was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation," wrote Kalyn in the email, according to The Globe. "He has resigned, and no longer teaches at Oberlin."

Christie is a 1975 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and professor of organ since 2001, according to the school's website.

Christie, 66, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.

Pages that appear to have at one time linked to a teaching profile for Christie on the Oberlin and Wellesley college website now appear with 404 error messages.

Christie is regarded as one of the most talented organists of his generation.

Last year, Christie was named the International Performer of the Year for 2017 by the American Guild of Organists' New York City Chapter.

Christie has also performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In a statement to The Globe, a BSO spokeswoman said Christie has performed with the orchestra as a freelance musician and does not have a formal title. The orchestra was not aware of the allegations.

"The Boston Symphony Orchestra has never had complaints against Mr. Christie," the statement read, according to The Globe. "Mr. Christie is not on the schedule to perform with the BSO this upcoming season, and there are no plans to engage him for future performances with the orchestra."

A group of former students reportedly sent a letter to Boroughs earlier this month, writing that Christie "is an imminent danger to students on your campus," according to The Globe.

Several of the students wrote that they were abused by Christie while they were Holy Cross students, the newspaper reported.

The students in the letter accused Holy Cross of enabling Christie's misconduct.

In interviews with The Globe, former students described incidents that took place between 1994 and 2017 that included "a sexually charged environment that included lewd comments, large amounts of alcohol, and unwanted touching."

Two of the former Holy Cross students who signed the letter described long-term sexual relationships that Christie initiated while they were undergraduates, The Globe reported.

The students, who were younger than 21 at the time of the incidents, said the interactions involved heavy drinking and "unprotected sex in a variety of public spaces, including green rooms, concert halls, Christie's office at Holy Cross, and in and around the pipe organ at the school's Saint Joseph Memorial Chapel."

The Globe reported that it was able to confirm key elements of the former students' accounts through emails, Facebook messages, and interviews with friends and acquaintances of the former students who either witnessed the incidents or learned about them soon after they occurred.