Risë Stevens | |
|---|---|
 Stevens asCarmen in 1959 | |
| Born | Risë Gus Steenberg (1913-06-11)June 11, 1913 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 20, 2013(2013-03-20) (aged 99) Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Years active | 1936–1974 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Risë Stevens (/ˈriːsə/; June 11, 1913 – March 20, 2013) was an Americanoperaticmezzo-soprano and actress. Beginning in 1938, she sang for theMetropolitan Opera in New York City for more than two decades during the 1940s and 1950s. She was most noted for her portrayals of the central character inCarmen byGeorges Bizet.[1] From 1963 to 1968 she was director of theMetropolitan Opera National Company.
Stevens was bornRisë Gus Steenberg inNew York City, the daughter of Sarah "Sadie" (née Mechanic) and Christian Carl Steenberg, an advertising salesman. Her father was of Norwegian descent and her mother was Jewish (of Polish and Russian descent).[2] She had a younger brother, Lewis "Bud" Steenberg, who died inWorld War II. She studied at New York'sJuilliard School for three years, and withAnna Eugénie Schoen-René (1864–1942). She went to Vienna, where she was trained byMarie Gutheil-Schoder andHerbert Graf. She made her début asMignon inPrague in 1936 and stayed there until 1938, also singing in guest appearances at theVienna State Opera.[3]
Stevens was engaged as a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble at theTeatro Colón in 1938 (as Octavian inDer Rosenkavalier) and was invited to theGlyndebourne Festival in 1939 where she was heard asDorabella andCherubino. In 1938 she made her début with theMetropolitan Opera on tour in Philadelphia as Octavian opposite Lotte Lehmann as the Marschallin. Three weeks later at theMetropolitan Opera in New York City, she sang Mignon in a Saturday matinee broadcast in a cast that included Richard Crooks asWilhelm Meister and Ezio Pinza as Lothario. Stevens appeared in a few Hollywood films, includingThe Chocolate Soldier (1941) withNelson Eddy. She played an opera singer inGoing My Way (1944) withBing Crosby, wherein she is credited as acontralto; she is featured performing the "Habanera " fromBizet's operaCarmen, "Going My Way" with theRobert Mitchell Boys Choir, and theSchubert "Ave Maria" with Bing Crosby and the choir. Disliking acting in films and the Hollywood scene in general, Stevens returned exclusively to opera.
Her other operatic roles included Fricka inWagner'sThe Ring of the Nibelung, Marfa inMussorgsky'sKhovanshchina, Giulietta inThe Tales of Hoffmann, and Prince Orlovsky inDie Fledermaus.
Stevens' acclaimedRCA Victor recording of the complete operaCarmen, conducted byFritz Reiner and co-starringJan Peerce,Robert Merrill andLicia Albanese remains a best-seller and has been continuously available since its original 1951 release. She also appeared inParis,London, and theLondon Palladium. Stevens' farewell performance at the Metropolitan Opera was as Carmen in 1961.[4]
Stevens toured the U.S. annually for several decades singing recitals. In 1962, she recorded the voice ofGlinda forJourney Back to Oz, but the production ran out of money and was halted for more than four years. It was only after theFilmation studio had made profits on their numerous television series that the project was completed (which was copyrighted 1971, released in 1972 in the United Kingdom and in 1974 in the United States). After her retirement from the operatic stage, Stevens served as General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera National Company until 1966 and later coached the new generation of singers at the Met. Stevens made occasional television appearances, including a guest-starring role onNBC'sThe Martha Raye Show.[5]
In 1963, Stevens andMichael Manuel were appointed co-directors of theMetropolitan Opera National Company (MONC), a second touring company of the Metropolitan Opera that featured American and Canadian artists in their early stages of career development, by SirRudolf Bing.[6] She remained director until the company dissolved in 1968, during which time she mentored several prominent singers with the MONC, including sopranosClarice Carson,Maralin Niska,Mary Beth Peil,Francesca Roberto, andMarilyn Zschau; mezzo-sopranosJoy Davidson, Sylvia Friederich, Dorothy Krebill, andHuguette Tourangeau; tenorsEnrico Di Giuseppe, Chris Lachona, Nicholas di Virgilio, andHarry Theyard; baritonesRon Bottcher,John Fiorito,Thomas Jamerson,Julian Patrick, and Vern Shinall; bass-baritonesAndrij Dobriansky, Ronald Hedlund, andArnold Voketaitis; and bassPaul Plishka.[6]
During 1975 to 1978 Stevens was president of theMannes College of Music in New York City.[2]
On October 22, 1977, Stevens was awarded theUniversity of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit.[7] Established in 1964, this award sought"to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression". She was aKennedy Center Honoree in 1990.[2] Stevens has been the subject of two biographies, Kyle Crichton'sSubway to the Met (1959) and John Pennino'sRisë Stevens: A Life in Music (1999).
In 1939, Stevens marriedWalter Surovy, an Austrian stage and screen actor she met during her European years, after he fled theNazis to New York. One likely display of Surovy's finesse with publicity was the fact that Stevens' voice was insured byLloyd's of London in 1945 for $1 million.[2] The marriage lasted for over 61 years, until Walter's death in 2001. Their only child is Nicolas Surovy (b. 1944) who followed in his father's footsteps, becoming an actor onBroadway, and in film and television.[2]
Stevens died in herManhattan home on March 20, 2013, at the age of 99, just 3 months before her 100th birthday.[2] Her body was cremated.
Stevens was honored many times over her long career including honorary degrees fromRussell Sage (H.H. D.),Hobart, andSmith Colleges (Mus. D.).[8]
She established the Risë Stevens scholarship atAdelphi College.[8]
Stevens was a part of a number of Hollywood productions, her most memorable being in the Oscar-winning filmGoing My Way alongside costarsBing Crosby andBarry Fitzgerald.
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 You may hear Rise Stevens performingGeorges Bizet's operaCarmen withFritz Reiner conducting theRCA Victor Orchestra andJan Peerce,Robert Merrill andLicia Albanese in 1951Here on archive.org | |
| Rise Stevens performing Saint-Saens operaSamson and Delilah with Mario Del Monaco, Ezio Flagelo and Fausto Cleve conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 1959Here on archive.org |
This article incorporates text available under theCC BY 3.0 license.
