Jen Stephenson - Baylor Opera Theater

Transcript

Derek Smith:
Hello and welcome to Baylor Connections, a conversation series with the people shaping our future. Each week we go in depth with Baylor leaders, professors, and more discussing important topics in higher education, research, and student life. I'm Derek Smith, and today we are talking opera, specifically Baylor Opera Theatre, which trains future performers and offers opera productions throughout the year in the Baylor School of Music. Last year, Baylor Opera built further on its decorated past. They've won a number of awards. Their production of Monsieur et Madame Denis was named a first place winner in the National Opera Association's Opera Production Competition. Additionally, Baylor Opera won first place in January of last year in the National Opera Association's Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition, and were one of four finalists in the Musical Theater Division Of that competition. Their 2022 production of The Tender Land was awarded third place in this year's competition for the American Prize, and Stephenson was named a finalist in the American Prize's stage directing competition for The Tender Land.

This spring, Baylor Opera Theatre will perform its first opera in Spanish with the production of Luisa Fernanda, running February 1st through fourth at Baylor's Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center. We're visiting today with Jen Stephenson. Stephenson serves as director of Baylor Opera Theatre and Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Music. In addition to her service on the Baylor faculty, Dr. Stephenson is the co-founder and artistic director of Music On Site, a regional opera company that works to close classical music's opportunity gap across socioeconomic divisions. A lot going on, a lot of exciting things, and a topic we haven't covered before, Dr. Stephenson. Appreciate you coming on today and looking forward to visiting with you.

Jen Stephenson:
Thanks for having me. Glad to be here.

Derek Smith:
Well, it sounds like it's an exciting time for opera, and we're going to dive into what's going on in Baylor Opera. But first I want to ask you, when did opera first catch your attention? Was that something you knew you wanted immediately when you saw it, that it was going to be your direction in life?

Jen Stephenson:
No.

Derek Smith:
Okay.

Jen Stephenson:
And that's one of the first things I tell people who don't know anything about opera. I say, "Well, I really didn't know that I wanted to be an opera director until I was 30."

Derek Smith:
Oh, wow.

Jen Stephenson:
"You're an undergraduate student. You have plenty of time to discover your love of opera."

Derek Smith:
Well, that's good. So yes, so this was a pivot of sorts, I guess. This is probably a long story, but can I ask you what led to that pivot?

Jen Stephenson:
Sure. My sister is a middle school choral director in my hometown in Massachusetts. And so she's my older sister so I always grew up with music in my home. And so I knew I wanted to do music as a child, but I always thought I would also be a choral director. And then I got my master's in choral directing, but also in vocal performance because I found that I wanted to study that some more. Then when it was time to do my doctorate, I decided to do it in vocal performance. But while I was a student, I got an opportunity to direct an opera, and it really combined my love of history and languages and sociology, anthropology, the study of people, also costumes, visual arts, set painting, just everything I've ever loved. And then also there's a lot of great opera choruses. So it kind of took my original love of choir and morphed into a love of opera and I haven't turned back.

Derek Smith:
Well, that's great. And what you're doing there, as you describe that, is sharing your appreciation of opera and that's something, a picture you can paint for people who are listening who haven't been to an opera or don't know a lot about it. And I'm curious, if you're in line at a business or if you're somewhere and people find out your role and that you're in opera, what are some of the questions that they have for you? And what questions do you hope they ask you? What are you excited to share?

Jen Stephenson:
A lot of people, they do have a mild interest in maybe trying opera, but I think they're nervous. And one big question I get is, "Well, how will I understand what's happening?" And what I tell them is a lot of operas are actually in English, but for the ones that aren't, they have supertitles, which are like subtitles in a movie, but they're supertitles because they're above the screen. So it says everything that's happening in English. So that is, I think, everyone's biggest concern. And then people have an idea sometimes that operas are really long, but we've never done an opera at Baylor, in my time at Baylor, that's been longer than two hours, so it's shorter than most movies that you're going to go to see.

Derek Smith:
Well, speaking of Baylor Opera, let's talk about that as we visit with Dr. Jen Stephenson. What makes Baylor Opera Theatre unique? What do you enjoy most about working with Baylor students in this area?

Jen Stephenson:
Our opera program is open to whoever wants to join. We choose our shows based on the students who have enrolled in the class. We're a class. It's not an extracurricular activity. So we have a set meeting time. And every April students send in their audition materials, which is they have a resume and them singing something. And then whoever auditions is automatically accepted. They might not sing the lead role if they're only a sophomore or they don't have experience, but they're going to be in a show.

So once we have everyone that wants to participate, then we choose the shows that will feature our students the best and give them the biggest variety of opportunities throughout the school year. We do three to four productions a year, so everyone will get an opportunity to be in multiple shows. And I really love that we have team building and that the students grow together throughout the year. And even though we have sophomores all the way up through masters students all in the same show, everyone can learn at their own level and everyone develops and it's a really neat experience taking a group of students from August to May and seeing how they develop.

Derek Smith:
So how long have you been at Baylor and how have you seen Baylor Opera Theatre grow?

Jen Stephenson:
This is my fourth year at Baylor, and I started right in the middle of the pandemic, so that was-

Derek Smith:
Wow, yeah.

Jen Stephenson:
A little bit of an experience. Actually, when I interviewed, it was on Zoom, so the first day that I set foot in Waco was when I moved here.

Derek Smith:
Wow.

Jen Stephenson:
It's worked out really well.

Derek Smith:
That's good. That's good.

Jen Stephenson:
The program, when I first started, we had 16 students and because it was the COVID year, we did all of our shows virtually, and we only did really small shows, so we would have a maximum of five students in a show. So that year we actually did 10 different productions, which was a lot. Normally we do three to four.

Derek Smith:
Wow.

Jen Stephenson:
But we wanted to do that so that everybody could have an opportunity to perform. And we had those 16 students. This year we have thirty-one students, so we've almost doubled just in four years. And because it's no longer COVID, we're back to our regular schedule, and we perform with the orchestra. We also have two piano students each year that work with us and they play our rehearsals. And this year, one of the piano students who's working with us, she had done it last year and she requested to do it again, which was a point of pride. So it shows she's having fun. And then starting last year, we started to have three conducting students who also work with us so that they can learn how to conduct opera. So we're really starting to branch out across the School of Music and get various types of students involved in our productions.

Derek Smith:
So you've got the people who play the actual music, and then of course the singers, as we think about what most of us picture when we think of opera. Could you take us inside a little bit? You mentioned vocal performance. In the past we've had some of your colleagues from the School of Music talk about vocal performance and the demands. And I'm curious, for those of us who aren't in that world, what all is required? I mean, obviously you're singing and that's demanding. But what's unique about what is required of a vocal performer over the course of an opera performance?

Jen Stephenson:
Sure. So vocal performance, if that's your major, you obviously take classes in singing, but you also take classes in acting and maybe in dance. We have an acting class at Baylor that incorporates dance. They also take a considerable amount of language across Italian, French and German. They have to take diction classes, which is how to pronounce those languages, but they also over in the language school, they have to take how to speak the language. So they have a considerable amount of that. They also have to take piano because all instruments, if you play trombone or if you sing or if you play flute, you still have to learn to play the piano. It's kind of the core of what we do.

So for the people that if you come to the opera, the ones that you see on stage, they've had to learn acting. They obviously have to sing, and our show is in Spanish, which is not one of the languages that they cover in their curriculum. So they've additionally had to learn how to pronounce the Spanish in the show and also translate it. They have to go through, translate the whole show themselves so that they know what they're saying and they know how to react when people are singing at them, they know what the other person is saying to them.

Derek Smith:
Well, you mentioned the performance in Spanish and this is an important milestone for Baylor Opera, Louisa Fernanda. You mentioned it's a production in Spanish. How meaningful is that to you all to be able to offer something like this?

Jen Stephenson:
I think it's a wonderful opportunity. We are really trying to honor our, we have a lot of Spanish-speaking students at the university and also Hispanic heritage students. And I believe the Baylor is seeking to become a Hispanic serving institution because we have such a high population of Hispanic students. So really we realized, "Oh gosh, we have this huge cultural thing happening and in Texas and we haven't been honoring it." So there's such a rich tradition of Spanish Zarzuela, which is their kind of opera.

Actually, Zarzuela is more like a musical. There is speaking in. It's like a classical music musical. So not all operas are actually alike. Some are more operatic as we think of it, with maybe the lady with the horns and others are more, there's talking and then there's music that's catchy, and you might go home singing it. So this is one of those. And there's also several waltzes in the show and a lot of dancing. So it's a really fun show and I'm really excited about the opportunity to bring a Spanish language show that I think all people, regardless of background, will be able to enjoy. And as a personal note, my undergraduate degree was in Spanish.

Derek Smith:
Oh, wow.

Jen Stephenson:
So I'm really excited to be able to use that.

Derek Smith:
Yeah, that's great. It's a big deal. How impressive has it been to see your students, the ones who didn't speak Spanish, learn that?

Jen Stephenson:
Really, really wonderful. And we have two students, actually three students, in our ensemble who they're fluent in Spanish. So it's been really wonderful also to see them help their fellow students who don't speak Spanish and to help them pronounce things. And I've also seen the students who are from Texas tend to be a little bit better. Just when we started, they were more used to hearing Spanish so they could make the sounds better than some of the other students who come from other states where they don't have as many Spanish speakers.

Derek Smith:
Yeah, but a team effort to lift everybody up there, it sounds like, to get ready for this. So if someone's attending, let's just say Luisa Fernanda, opera in general, but we'll use that as an example, and they've never been. And maybe you are, instead of in your professional role, you're just there with them and you want them to have a good time and develop a little bit of an appreciation. What are some things you might tell us before going in or what are some things that you might try to point out if you talk under your breath during the opera to make sure they notice something? What are some things you might point out?

Jen Stephenson:
I would point out that it's just meant to be, it's a spectacle. So sometimes when you go see, I like to compare it to a blockbuster movie rather than an art film. Sometimes if you miss some dialogue in an art film, then you're confused for the next hour of the movie, "What's happening?" But you don't really need to catch all of the dialogue if you go see a Marvel movie. You can kind of figure out what's happening, even if you can't hear half of what they're saying.

And that's really what an opera is. I always tell my students that we want to know what's happening in the show. If someone who couldn't hear came to the show, we would want them to be able to tell what's happening generally through your actions and through your acting and through your dance and through your movement. So I would tell people, "Don't get hung up on not speaking Spanish or not speaking the language of the show. Don't feel like you have to stare at the supertitles all the time. Just watch the show. You'll probably figure out what it's about. And it's more about a visual and beautiful music spectacle than this arresting story that's going to change the world."

Derek Smith:
I got you. That's good. Well, that's some good info if people go to see Luisa Fernando or other productions. And we'll talk about how to get tickets and how to learn more a little bit later on in the program, as we visit with Jen Stephenson, Director of Baylor Opera Theatre, and Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Music here on Baylor Connections. Let's shift just a little bit. We mentioned that this has been really, I think, an exciting time for Baylor Opera. A number of awards we mentioned at the top of the show. A first place winner in the National Opera Association's Opera Production Competition, just to name one. Take us inside what that has meant to you all to win some of these national awards.

Jen Stephenson:
Well, it's been such an honor because we were competing against other universities who I have colleagues that work there and I've really respected and I've always really looked to their programs as a beacon of what opera education can be. So to compete against these schools that I really hold on a pedestal and then to be named first place winner is really letting us know, "Oh, we're doing the right thing."

And I think it was great for our students to really feel like their work was valued and to know that they're getting a good education here at Baylor, because I think all university students, they are in their own university and they kind of wonder, "Well, what are other people at other schools learning and how do I stack up with that?" So I think it's just as much as a, "Oh, we won a competition. That's wonderful," it's also a way for them to feel like they're getting a quality education and for them to have a confidence boost so that if they're undergrads here and they're going to apply for grad school, they can proceed with confidence and know that they're really learning good stuff here.

Derek Smith:
Is that by a video that they judge? How are these judged?

Jen Stephenson:
So the production competition, we just submit a video and we have to edit the video so that you can't see, for example, I give a welcome speech at the beginning of all of our productions so I have to edit that out because somebody could watch it and see me and know where I work. So it is an anonymous competition so we have to edit out anything that indicates me or Baylor, and I have to submit it in an anonymous way.

For the Collegiate Opera scenes Competition that we won first place in January and we're also a finalist in the Music Theater Competition that is held every year at the National Opera Association National Conference. And last year it happened to be in Houston. So our dean, Gary Mortenson, of the School of Music was very generous and gave us some funding for me to bring 17 of our opera students down to Houston for the conference. So the students were able to compete in the live final round of the competition and they were also able to attend the conference. And that was really immeasurably amazing for me to see them interacting with other students and other professionals and attending sessions. And for a lot of them, that was their first professional conference. So outside of winning the competition, even if we had just attended the conference and not even competed, it was a really valuable, wonderful experience.

Derek Smith:
Your students are used to performing, but that's got to be a very different feel when you're kind of competing against other students instead of performing for an audience. But they stepped up.

Jen Stephenson:
Yes. Yes. I think some of them are quite nervous, but they did a great job.

Derek Smith:
That's great. We are visiting with Jen Stephenson, Director of Baylor Opera Theatre. I'm curious, over the years, where are some places that Baylor Opera Theatre students have gone on to perform? What are some of the places it's taken them and how have they used what they've gained here at Baylor?

Jen Stephenson:
A lot of our students go into professional performing. We've had students at Austin Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Santa Fe, I believe, Seattle Opera. So all over the world. We've also had, one of our grads is the Associate Dean of the School of Music at Ball State University. One of our grads is the Director of Opera at West Texas A&M just down the road. So we have grads all over. And of course, we have grads who are working in a lot of huge churches running their church music programs throughout the country. So our grads really are flinging the green and gold wide and doing a lot of variety of opera activities.

We also have grads who work in opera administration, running companies. So I think that they are taking their training here. We train them not only in singing and acting and dancing and being on the stage, but our students also build the sets, they paint the sets, they sew the costumes sometimes. In Luisa Fernanda, they have sewed the costumes themselves. We have a bunch of beautiful period costumes that they made. They built the house, they made a terracotta roof for the homes that are on the stage. So they do it all. And I think that that's incredibly valuable for them, so that whatever path they go into when they leave Baylor, they feel like they've had some training and they feel comfortable with what they know, and they feel like they're at a good starting place for whatever career they want to have.

Derek Smith:
Wow. So in addition to being elite vocal performers, they have to be problem solvers, builders, a lot of skills that probably people outside of opera, those of us outside of the opera world, don't think about. Are those special times when you're all sitting around working on building a set or crafting something? I got to think that's kind of a fun bonding time for everyone amidst the stress and excitement of performing.

Jen Stephenson:
Yeah, and it's been really interesting for me because we kind of put it to them, "Who feels like they want to try sewing? Who wants to try building." And I'm always interested to see who wants to use the power tools because it isn't always the students I would expect. But yeah, even if they decide to change careers once they graduate, they will all be able to renovate their homes later on.

Derek Smith:
That's good. That's good. So some very useful skills outside of theater as well. Well, Dr. Stephenson, we're heading into the final moments here on the program. I want to make sure people know what's ahead and how they can get involved. So what's on the horizon as we look ahead in 2024, and how can people get tickets to Louisa Fernanda or other productions?

Jen Stephenson:
Well, our show Louisa Fernanda is happening in the Jones Theater of the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Building at Baylor. And it is February 1 through 4. And tickets can be purchased through the theater department. If you go to Baylor Theater, their page, they have a buy tickets button, and then you can buy the tickets through there. You could also call the Baylor Theater Box Office.
And then in the spring, we're doing a show by a living composer named Michael Ching, and the show is called Speed Dating Tonight, and that is April 19th and 20th. And it's free. And it's only an hour. And so if you think, "Well, I'm kind of interested in this Louisa Fernanda show, but I don't know, it's in another language. It seems scary." Then I highly recommend coming out in April to see Speed Dating Tonight, which is in English, and it takes place contemporarily and is about an evening at a coffee bar where people are doing speed dating. So I think that maybe people don't always expect that that might be an opera topic, but it is. And it's a really fun show, and it has really singable melodies.

And we're also doing an opera outreach show called Listen, Willamina, and the words for the show were written by Kathleen Kelly, who is a faculty member in Baylor Opera Theatre and in the School of Music. So we're excited to bring her work to school. And that will be done at The Mayborn. And also we're going into the community and doing it for some elementary schools.

Derek Smith:
Oh, that's wonderful. That's exciting. That'll be great to see. And again, for the productions on campus, I know if people Google Baylor theater tickets, they're going to get right where they need to go, so they will find that, for sure. Well, Dr. Stephenson, thanks so much for taking us into the world of opera and we look forward to your performance of Louisa Fernanda. Hope that goes well, and look forward to what's ahead with Baylor Opera Theater and your great student leads.

Jen Stephenson:
Thank you so much.

Derek Smith:
Wonderful to have you here. Jen Stephenson, Director of Baylor Opera Theatre and Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Music, our guest today on Baylor Connections. I'm Derek Smith. A reminder, you can hear this and other programs online, baylor.edu/connections, and you can subscribe on iTunes. Thanks for joining us here on Baylor Connections.