On Being in the Houston Grand Opera Studio

     Well, it was somewhat different in 1989 than it is today. First of all, it was called simply the Houston Opera Studio; they added "Grand" years later, I suppose to clarify that it is indeed the training program of the Houston Grand Opera. The second big difference is that back then, the Studio was a joint program of HGO and the University of Houston; its directors/founders were David Gockley (General Director of HGO) and Carlisle Floyd (UH). Studio members took their language classes on campus with UH faculty (they had their own private classes apart from the university students). Studio singers also sang roles in UH opera workshop productions, for which the Studio pianists served as coaches and repetiteurs. To complicate matters further, the singers studied voice with Elena Nikolaidi who, due to her advanced age and lack of a driver's license, had to have all lessons (for which the Studio pianists played) at her home, twenty minutes from UH and fifteen from the opera house. All this was in addition to the members' work with HGO: singers, as they do today, performed small roles and covered principle roles; pianists served as assistant coaches on various productions as assigned.

     Needless to say, there was a lot of driving involved. A typical day for me would be to go to the opera house in the morning for a coaching, then drive to UH for Italian class; after lunch, to Niki's (Nikolaidi) house to play a couple of voice lessons; dinner; then back to UH to play the last hour and a half of the opera workshop rehearsal; and finally, back to the opera house to play for a two-and-a-half-hour chorus rehearsal. Somewhere in there I also had to find time, either at UH or at the opera, to practice the shows I was assigned to. By the time I got home, around 10:30, I'd usually be too wound up to sleep right away.

     The Studio terminated their affiliation with UH in the early '90s, so now the members have all their classes and lessons at the opera house, which makes their lives ever so much easier.

     My first year began with the 1989 fall repertoire, which consisted of Giulio Cesare, The Mikado (with Eric Idle as Koko -- pinch me!), and the premiere of Tippet's New Year. I was assigned to the first two, thank goodness; knowing now how stressful it can be to work on a newly written opera, if I had started my first year in the Studio with one, I don't think I would have stayed for a second year! It was also fortuitous for me that Cesare was to be conducted by none other than Nicholas McGegan, with whom I had done Saul a few years earlier, so I knew exactly what to expect musically. Since I felt so comfortable with Handel, and also since Mikado is a very easy "play" pianistically, I wasn't unduly nervous about my very first assignments with a major company. (Sadly, McGegan's mother passed away just before tech rehearsals, so Craig Smith came in to conduct performances.)

     I remember waiting to play the second half of a run-through of Cesare. It was only a rough run in the rehearsal room with piano, and the singers were marking (not singing full out), but the sheer beauty of the music suddenly brought tears to my eyes. It was at that moment I knew I was in the right place, doing the right thing. All the doubts I had had till then about my own abilities shrank beside the pure love I had for the music.

     Later that first year I played for Rigoletto and Butterfly, then they contracted me to stay through the summer for an unforgettable production of Carousel. What made this show special was that we hired one of Agnes de Mille's dancers, Gemze de Lappe, to remount de Mille's original choreography. (The dancing you see in the 1950's film is not hers, and really can't compare, in my opinion.) Playing dance rehearsals for Carousel was one of the highlights of my career, mainly because of the thrill seeing that incredible choreography come to life, but also because of Gemze herself -- such a lovely person. It was a pleasure and honor to work with her.

     My memory of my second year is rather hazy; I just know that I worked as hard as I could, even giving up my one free day a week to practice. Being in the Studio, whether you are a pianist/coach or a singer, means that you're constantly scrutinized and evaluated. You are essentially being paid and given free coachings and lessons so that you may become the kind of singer or pianist/coach any opera company in the world would be happy to have work for them. You are accepted to the Studio in the first place because the staff of HGO believe you have this potential.

     All my hard work paid off -- near the end of my second year, I was asked to join the  music staff as an Assistant Conductor for HGO, and as a full-fledged Coach (faculty) for the Houston Grand Opera Studio.