Spotlight on Stephanie Rhodes Russell
Part of the Life of the Opera Pianist series
General Information
Education
Utah State University, BM Piano Performance
University of Michigan, MM Collaborative Piano
University of Utah, DMA Orchestral Conducting
Current opera house and position(s)
Guest Conductor: Austin Opera, Madison Opera, Orlando Opera, Wolf Trap Opera
Other or former affiliations
Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, The Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Tulsa Opera, Washington National Opera, Utah Opera
Connect
www.stephanierhodesrussell.com
Instagram: @stephrhodesrussell
11 Questions
Many people do not know the many roles and responsibilities a répétiteur has in the opera house. How do you explain your job to non-musicians, or even other musicians?
The job is incredibly multi-faceted and not easily described. For the coaching component I like to say that we’re like an auditory mirror for singers: You know when you hear your voice on recording and think, “that’s what my voice sounds like?” We’re providing a reflection and assessment of their sound that allows them to understand if what they are doing is effective. Is that pronunciation coming across correctly? Is the diction intelligible in the house? Is everything in tune? Is the meaning of the text being conveyed? Singers have so much that goes into a performance. We are here to support that performance in every way possible!
In similar fashion, we assist the conductor whose perception of sound is also restricted based on their location in the pit. We provide feedback on what is heard in the house---what the audience will experience. That may be that you can’t hear a singer in a certain passage, or an instrumental solo isn’t coming across and needs to be louder. I love helping people understand the amount of detail that goes into the performance they will experience.
What do you find to be one of the most challenging aspects of your job?
I think the lifestyle can be enormously challenging and is something that needs to be discussed and evaluated more frequently. My first year working professionally I worked for 6 different companies in 7 different cities and lived out of a suitcase while most of my belongings were in storage at my parents. Travel may initially seem glamorous (and I DO enjoy it!) but it’s taxing in many ways and requires a mental fortitude and adaptability.
Additionally, there aren’t many jobs where you receive the schedule for the day the night before, as is typical with most companies. For people who like to prepare—I would venture most répétiteurs—that lack of ability to plan can be a challenge. Especially if you need to navigate something like childcare. Or even a dentist appointment.
While there are full-time positions in many companies, it’s more often in the United States that a répétiteur will need multiple company affiliations and will be piecing their season together each year. You have to be comfortable with instability in a way that most working professionals don’t experience. Now, if you’re doing your job well that instability may seem more distant. But it is always present.
Do you have a favorite part of the preparation (rehearsal or learning an opera) process? If so, what is it and why?
When I’ve been at the keyboard, I simultaneously love and am apprehensive about the first day of music rehearsal, often referred to as the first day of school. As artists, we have our own understanding and vision of how the music goes, but it is ultimately the conductor in collaboration with the soloists that is shaping that vision for the production. It’s such a unique challenge to try and take on someone else’s interpretation and play it as convincingly as your own, on the spot, having never rehearsed it before. It can be thrilling, fulfilling, disappointing, or slightly terrifying. And maybe all of those things at once. But it also feels like a huge achievement when it goes well!
I have to say that the piano dress is the perfect bookend to that day. It’s incredibly rewarding to reach the end of the piano process and play a complete run of the show that you have now lived with during both personal preparation and production.
What is your favorite opera score to play and why?
My favorite scores to play are some of those that have required the greatest investment. Most répétiteurs come from a background of solo piano playing, so the scores that allow you to really work your technique in a meaningful way are fun to dive into. But also there are certain scores that sound better on the piano than others, which plays into it as well. I will always love playing Eugene Onegin because it required technical investment, an immense amount of language investment, and it can sound beautiful in the colors a piano can produce. Die Walküre would be another that comes to mind. Often though I find favorites in whatever I’m working on at the time.
What are some adjectives that describe the skills one needs to be a good répétiteur?
Collaborative. Perceptive. Motivated. Dedicated. Detail-oriented. Thoughtful. Kind. Humble. Proud. The list could go on and on…
As a répétiteur, we are expected to prepare music quickly (sometimes having to sightread or transpose or play music from the orchestra full score), manage multiple opera productions at the same time, play rehearsals for last minute cast changes, conduct last minute rehearsals or performances and sometimes even sing roles in these rehearsals or performances. Do you have any advice on how to deal with the excitement of the job?
Preparation. I once got a B on an Honors Calculus test and my teacher wrote across the top, “proper preparation prevents poor performance.” I was livid, of course, but the saying at least stuck (and I got an A in the class for anyone questioning). Preparation is the most powerful tool we have. The more scores you prepare, the faster you become at preparing one. The better you prepare a score, the easier it is to balance when you’re working on multiple productions. If you didn’t learn the vocal lines like you should have, singing a rehearsal would be unbelievably stressful. It will never feel like there’s enough time, but if you have prepared a score effectively and thoroughly, then you will be able to take on the unexpected with relative calm.
We also wear many hats as a répétiteur. We are often asked to assist conductors by taking notes, provide backstage conducting for performances, prompt the singers, conduct staging rehearsals, accompany chorus rehearsals, manage sound effects or major musical cues for performances, perform a keyboard instrument (or two) in the orchestra pit and give notes to singers about language and diction. Do you have a favorite aspect of the career? Have you branched out in other directions related to our field?
While it’s not necessarily production-related, I will always love coaching. There’s something magical about that time one-on-one with a singer—for me there’s always a sense of discovery as you evaluate the music together and aim to help them create an experience through their voice.
I have gone beyond what may be considered branching out, and have fully transitioned my career to conducting. For me, all the experiences I had in the opera house felt like they culminated at the podium—the ultimate position of collaboration that requires clear artistic vision. I love that I know how to fully utilize the talents of a music staff to the advantage of all and also appreciate being able to mentor younger pianists learning the unique skillsets our job requires!
What was your first experience as a répétiteur? And your most recent experience as a répétiteur?
My first experience came in graduate school with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and my first professional experience was Elixir of Love while in the Houston Grand Opera Studio. My most recent experience was the San Francisco Opera Ring Cycle in 2018—a memory I will always cherish.
How do you manage playing an opera (or opera aria) for the nth time?
No matter how many times you have played an opera or aria, they no longer exist. Perhaps there’s a recording, but that live experience is gone. So this time when you play it is actually the only one that exists. With that mindset, you’ll find magic.
Do you have any advice for pianists interested in a career at an opera house?
Make sure you understand the skillsets you need and start learning them as soon as possible. It’s a completely different world than solo or even instrumental collaborative playing. Opera playing is its own art and that’s only the beginning. Start learning languages yesterday. And spend as much time in an opera house as you can! Before I did my graduate degree I called the surtitles for a season at Houston Grand Opera. That type of exposure to the repertoire and to an excellent company shaped my career trajectory.
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