Stephen Lord, conductor

The conductor’s role is to set the tone of a piece of music, as well as keep performers on tempo and working together. By tradition, he blends into the staging with only the occasional glint of a footlight catching his baton as he works; he leaves the musicians and vocalists to convey his artistry. After more than 30 years, conductor Stephen Lord has built a stellar reputation on the success of the performers who have done just that. “I’ve always been content to be a team player and not jump into the limelight,” he said in a recent interview with Opera Now. “I honestly believe that it’s the artists themselves that really matter in terms of the legacy we leave behind.”

Lord began his career playing the piano and coaching singers to perform under other people’s direction. It was the encouragement from stage director Colin Graham and conductors John Pritchard and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle that made him decide to take on the responsibility of the baton. Since then, he has stood at the podium for an impressive repertoire of both traditional and contemporary operatic works. Among the many who praise his performances, the Boston Globe reported, “…Lord knows how to help and challenge singers, and he caught the fever of the party scenes, and the pain and passion of the intimate ones. More than anyone else, he realized what still moved us in La Traviata.” (Boston Lyric Opera). 

This season, Stephen Lord, who is currently music director for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and music director of Boston Lyric Opera until the end of the 2007-08 season, will be conducting three of the four productions you will see at Opera Colorado, La Traviata, The Flying Dutchman, and Don Pasquale. We caught up with Lord to learn a bit more about the man Opera News listed among its 25 most influential people in American Opera.

SL: I have had lots of people joke with me about this honor. But it is indeed an honor and I truly feel the warmth of those who josh me or compliment me.  I have been working in the profession for more than thirty years now and, frankly, so much of my work has been in building the careers of others and helping build and maintain institutions that I am thrilled to be included on this list equally for what I have done in the profession as with what I have done for it.  That Opera News recognizes people not just for what the public sees but for what we do for the profession’s health is indeed a tribute to them equally as it is to me.

SL: As an ad for some medicine or other says “It’s a new lease on life!” Actually, I believe all experiences aid us in whatever we do next in life. But I learned a lot of repertoire this way and because I was successful as a coach to many of the great singers in the 70’s and 80’s in the world, I had a network that was quite helpful for my confidence.

SL: I look in as many places as I can.  But, as with anyone else in the audience or in the profession, it is a subjective art. As a musician first, I look for people with ability to technically execute the notes in a piece reasonably easily. But I also look for people who say something – not just glorious tone (ah, but that is nice…) – but people who have a story to tell, and who can tell stories for many years, not just for a small career span. That is the trick. I also use the factor of not being from a professional music family or a family immersed in opera. I put myself in the shoes of those who simply want to be moved and entertained. These are the people we need to cultivate, and these are the people who will fill our seats and possibly bring their children to music lessons.

SL: It is a very long story.  I have been in Boston a very long time and I believe, given the climate in Boston at the moment, that I have done all that I could have for the institution in its present state. I am proud of what I have done and brought to the city and also for what our supporters in Boston have done for the company.

SL: The Flying Dutchman, of course! I also am itching to do La Fanciulla de West and the Trittico of Puccini.

SL: The conductor’s job is not necessarily to ‘lead’ an opera but it is equally to inspire the people who are involved to do their best. I truly believe that this is not just the performing personnel of the orchestra and chorus and principals; I have always made it a practice to know the stage crew, make-up folks and everyone else back stage, as we are all in it together and I do spend a good amount of time backstage as well as front stage.

SL: Since La Traviata is a signature role for so many sopranos, it is done very often. In this case, Pamela Armstrong, who has sung it many times, and I have a very special musical friendship/kinship from past collaborations. So, doing this piece together with her for our first collaboration on it, will be a truly a wonderful experience.  She is wanting to restudy it together, so this isn’t simply a repeat.  And I did Garrett Sorenson’s first run in Boston two years ago, so revisiting the role with him – always a learning process – will be wonderful, as he is maturing terrifically and this time he has more experience under his belt with the role.  Scott Hendrix, the Father Germont, and I go way back to the days when Peter Russell had us together in Wolf Trap, and doing this role with him and bringing his ideas and mine together should be fun. What I meant in the repeating sense earlier was that many times artists won’t do anything other than what they know already, which oftentimes turns out to only be what is convenient for them.  With this set of principals this will not be a problem, as we all have long standing relationships.

SL: Orchestra and vocalists are never separate. In the case of Traviata, the overtures and interludes, all have theater in them that directly relates to the drama.  This is the same in every opera performance.  Everything is part of the whole, which is why opera conducting is so much more challenging.  There are very few symphonic works that have to tie together over a three hour stretch!