Risë Stevens (; June 11, 1913 – March 20, 2013) was an American
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
tic
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
and actress. Beginning in 1938, she sang for the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
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 in ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
'' by
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', w ...
. From 1963 to 1968 she was director of the
Metropolitan Opera National Company.
Early life and education
Stevens was born Risë Gus Steenberg in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, 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).
She had a younger brother, Lewis "Bud" Steenberg, who died in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. She studied at New York's
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
for three years, and with
Anna Eugénie Schoen-René (1864–1942). She went to Vienna, where she was trained by
Marie Gutheil-Schoder and
Herbert Graf. She made her début as
Mignon in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
in 1936 and stayed there until 1938, also singing in guest appearances at the
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...
.
Career
Stevens was engaged as a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble at the
Teatro Colón in 1938 (as Octavian in ''
Der Rosenkavalier
(''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...
'') and was invited to the
Glyndebourne Festival
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.
History
Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...
in 1939 where she was heard as
Dorabella and
Cherubino. In 1938 she made her début with the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
on tour in Philadelphia as Octavian opposite Lotte Lehmann as the Marschallin. Three weeks later at the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
in New York City, she sang Mignon in a Saturday matinee broadcast in a cast that included Richard Crooks as
Wilhelm Meister and Ezio Pinza as Lothario. During the 1940s, Stevens appeared in a few Hollywood films, including ''
The Chocolate Soldier'' (1941) with
Nelson Eddy
Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs ...
. She played an opera singer in ''
Going My Way
''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ...
'' (1944) with
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
, wherein she is credited as a
contralto
A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...
; she is featured performing the "
Habanera " from
Bizet's opera ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
'', "Going My Way" with the
Robert Mitchell Boys Choir, and the
Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
"
Ave Maria
The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...
" with Bing Crosby and the choir. Stevens disliked the process of making films and found the Hollywood scene in general even more disagreeable. She returned exclusively to opera.
Stevens' other operatic roles included Fricka in
Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's ''
The Ring of the Nibelung
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compos ...
'', Marfa in
Mussorgsky's ''
Khovanshchina
''Khovanshchina'' ( rus, Хованщина, , xɐˈvanʲɕːɪnə, Ru-Khovanshchina_version.ogg, sometimes rendered ''The Khovansky Affair'') is an opera (subtitled a 'national music drama') in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was writte ...
'', Giulietta in ''
The Tales of Hoffmann
''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...
'', and Prince Orlovsky in ''
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original literary source for ' was ...
''.
Stevens' acclaimed
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
recording of the complete opera ''Carmen'', conducted by
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin Reiner (; December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to promine ...
and co-starring
Jan Peerce,
Robert Merrill and
Licia Albanese remains a best-seller and has been continuously available since its original 1951 release. She also appeared in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...
. Stevens' farewell performance at the Metropolitan Opera was as Carmen in 1961.
Stevens toured the U.S. annually for several decades singing recitals. In 1962, she recorded the voice of
Glinda for ''
Journey Back to Oz'', but the production ran out of money and was halted for more than four years. It was only after the
Filmation 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 on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''The Martha Raye Show''.
Stevens recorded the Original 1963 Studio Cast Recording of ''Lady in the Dark'' (Columbia OL-5990/OS-2390), singing the starring role of Liza Elliott. The album was digitally remastered (ADD) for CD in 1997, as part of the Masterworks Heritage Vocal Series (Sony MHK 62869).
In 1963, Stevens and
Michael Manuel were appointed co-directors of the
Metropolitan 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 Sir
Rudolf Bing.
She remained director until the company dissolved in 1968, during which time she mentored several prominent singers with the MONC, including sopranos
Clarice Carson,
Maralin Niska,
Mary Beth Peil,
Francesca Roberto, and
Marilyn Zschau; mezzo-sopranos
Joy Davidson
Joy Davidson (August 18, 1937 – February 5, 2023) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano, actress, and pedagogue. She performed internationally in many of the world's great opera houses.
Life and career
A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, David ...
, Sylvia Friederich, Dorothy Krebill, and
Huguette Tourangeau; tenors
Enrico Di Giuseppe, Chris Lachona, Nicholas di Virgilio, and
Harry Theyard; baritones
Ron Bottcher,
John Fiorito,
Thomas Jamerson,
Julian Patrick, and Vern Shinall; bass-baritones
Andrij Dobriansky, Ronald Hedlund, and
Arnold Voketaitis; and bass
Paul Plishka.
During 1975 to 1978 Stevens was president of the
Mannes College of Music
The Mannes School of Music (), originally called the David Mannes Music School and later the Mannes Music School, Mannes College of Music, the Chatham Square Music School, and Mannes College: The New School for Music, is a Music school, music con ...
in New York City.
On October 22, 1977, Stevens was awarded the
University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit. 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 a
Kennedy Center Honoree in 1990.
Stevens has been the subject of two biographies, Kyle Crichton's ''Subway to the Met'' (1959) and John Pennino's ''Risë Stevens: A Life in Music'' (1999).
Personal life
In 1939, Stevens married
Walter Surovy, an Austrian stage and screen actor she met during her European years, after he fled the
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
s to New York. One likely display of Surovy's finesse with publicity was the fact that Stevens' voice was insured by
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is a insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gover ...
in 1945 for $1 million.
The marriage lasted for over 61 years, until Walter's death in 2001. They had one child.
Death
Stevens died in her
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
home on March 20, 2013, at the age of 99, just 3 months before her 100th birthday.
Her body was cremated.
Awards
Stevens was honored many times over her long career including honorary degrees from
Russell Sage
Russell Risley Sage (August 4, 1816 – July 22, 1906) was an American financier, railroad executive and Whig Party (United States), Whig politician from New York (state), New York, who became one of the List of richest Americans in history, rich ...
(H.H. D.),
Hobart
Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
, and
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
s (Mus. D.).
Legacy
She established the Risë Stevens scholarship at
Adelphi College.
Work
Film
Stevens was a part of a number of Hollywood productions, her most memorable being in the Oscar-winning film ''
Going My Way
''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ...
'' alongside costars
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
and
Barry Fitzgerald.
*1974 – ''
Journey Back to Oz'' as
Glinda the Good Witch
Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful Magician (fantasy), sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of ...
, (voice)
*1958 – ''Little Women'' (TV movie) as Margaret March
*1958 – ''
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15).
Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...
'' (TV movie) as Mother
*1956 – ''
Producers' Showcase'' (TV series) as Carmen in ''Carmen'' excerpt
*1955 – ''The Chocolate Soldier'' (TV movie) as Nadina
*1952 – ''Carmen'' (TV movie) as Carmen
*1949 – ''Der Rosenkavalier'' (TV movie) as Octavian
*1944 – ''
Going My Way
''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ...
'' as Genevieve Linden
*1941 – ''
The Chocolate Soldier'' as Maria Lanyi, Karl's Wife
Selected discography
*''
The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...
'' (
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
cast album), with
Darren McGavin as The King, 1965
''The King and I''
masterworksbroadway.com
* Gluck
Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...
: '' Orfeo and Euridice'' (highlights); with Lisa Della Casa and Roberta Peters, Rome Opera House Orchestra and Chorus, Pierre Monteux
Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1 ...
, conductor. RCA Victor (1957)
* Saint-Saens: '' Samson and Delilah'' (highlights); with Mario Del Monaco and Ezio Flagello, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Fausto Cleva, conductor. RCA Victor (1959)
References
Further reading
* Crichton, Kyle (1959) ''Subway to the Met: Risë Stevens' Own Story'' (New York: Doubleday)
* McCants, Clyde T. (2004) ''American Opera Singers and Their Recordings: Critical Commentaries and Discographies'' (McFarland & Company, Inc.)
* Pennino, John (2005) ''Risë Stevens: A Life in Music'' (Baskerville Publishers)
External links
*
*
Interview with Risë Stevens
by Bruce Duffie, April 22, 1985
Risë Stevens papers
at the Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history.
General
One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, a ...
, Smith College Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Rise
1913 births
2013 deaths
American operatic mezzo-sopranos
Kennedy Center honorees
Singers from New York City
Newtown High School (Queens) alumni
Juilliard School alumni
Jewish opera singers
American film actresses
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from New York City
American television actresses
Jewish American actresses
American opera directors
20th-century American women opera singers
21st-century American women
RCA Victor artists