Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES Summer 2019 11 INTERVIEW to choose a major in college, I felt that music people were my "tribe" and that I wanted to continue pursuing it at a higher level. What lead you to the Metropolitan Opera? I studied music business and vocal performance. I had some wonderful experiences as a singer and also worked on the business side all through school. Aer I finished grad school, I was working at New York City Opera running supertitles for performances. It was there that I really fell in love with opera and worked with more mentors and colleagues who helped me get to the Met. What is your title role at the Metropolitan Opera? I'm the Executive Director of the National Council Auditions. I audition hundreds of young singers annually and am passionate about assisting them with their career development. I also hear artists in stage and screening auditions at the Met and am responsible for casting the Met's New Opera Commissions workshops. Tell me about your position and what it entails on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. It's a very all-encompassing job. e National Council Auditions (MONC) have been running for 65 years and is the competition that has launched the careers of many great opera singers. We are mainly volunteer-run and operate in 41 Districts and 12 Regions in the US, Canada, and Mexico. My job is to oversee all aspects of the program: volunteers, donors, singers, judges, and staff. I serve as a judge for all rounds of the competition (though I can't get to all of the audition sites) and that means lots of travel. We produce the annual Grand Finals Concert where the winners are chosen and it is a public concert of the singers and the incomparable Met Orchestra. I love that we get to interface with many departments within the Met, many leaders throughout the opera industry, and assist the careers of promising singers. I also travel to opera companies and festivals in the US and abroad to hear singers and opera productions. Did you start out in the National Council Auditions? If not, how did you make your way to the position you're in today? My first job at the Met was in supertitles. I did one production and then the job opened up for the Associate Director of MONC. at's the position I held for 6.5 years before becoming Deputy Director and now Executive Director. While conducting auditions, what is your committee looking for? For MONC, we are looking for vocal quality, musicianship, interpretation, and career potential. We want to know that a singer is singing appropriate repertoire, is at a stage of development appropriate for their age and experience level, and that they have something to say artistically. I know your background includes degrees in Music Business and Music Performance. How did each of these degrees prepare you for your work at the Metropolitan Opera? My job is a great blend of my background in singing and business. I get to use my ears and artistic knowledge when I'm listening and talking to singers. We give feedback to the singers about their auditions, so being able to speak technically about the voice, language, diction, musical style, and repertoire are very important. On the business side, I manage our budget, assist in fundraising, lead our personnel, and implement the vision of the program. My undergraduate work at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music gave me a wonderful start on both of those paths with all that I learned through the degree programs. While in the Gamma Delta Chapter at Crane, you held positions that included Treasurer and President. How did these positions help prepare you for your career path? I think I learned that even though I was a natural leader of people, I needed to keep working on executing the responsibilities that came along with it. We had a very cohesive chapter and many great memories, but I know that the people who came aer me did a great job of adding more structure to the enthusiasm I brought to the group. Was there a person(s) who inspired your path to this career? Many! I've been very grateful to have wonderful mentors in my life, many of them being teachers: John Fleischman, Virginia Greenan, Barbara Clark, Carleen Graham, Patricia Misslin, Dawn Upshaw, and Carol Yaple. In my professional life, I've been fortunate to learn from some of the best in the industry including Kevin Murphy, Cori Ellison, Gayletha Nichols, and Camille LaBarre. What is the most rewarding part of your work? Has there been a particular moment or season? I have "pinch me" moments all of the time and am so grateful to be doing what I love. I always love the Sitzprobe for our Grand Finals Concert each year. It's the first time the singers get to work with the Met Orchestra and it just feels like the moment they've all been working so hard for all their lives. Getting to be backstage at Met performances is also a real thrill. I have so much respect for my colleagues on stage, in the pit, and behind the scenes who help produce great opera every day in our theater. What challenges you the most? I tend to over schedule myself, so finding balance is a challenge. My daughter is turning one on May 6 and the logistical challenges of a career in the arts with travel and evening obligations has meant a new level of communication and planning. I'm beyond thankful to have an amazing wife who helps keep it all together. What advice do you have to those who are interested in entering the field of major performing arts organizations? We need creative, passionate, organized people in every aspect of this industry. We all need to be ambassadors for our art form, so learn to speak about the civic, economic, and cultural areas of impact. Continue to nurture your lifelong relationship with music, no matter if you are a performer, administrator, audience member, donor, or volunteer. We all need to work together to carry the torch for those who will come aer us. Many thanks to Melissa for her time for this interview. Stephanie Riley is an initiate of the Gamma Delta Chapter at SUNY Potsdam and currently a member of the Boston Alumnae Chapter. A passionate music educator, Stephanie teaches 8-12 choral music on Cape Cod and is a member of the MMEA state board.

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