The Well Canto Convo: Stephen Powell

The Well Canto Newsletter Volume 16

May 31, 2024

Stephen recording at Ocean Way Nashville. photo credit: Gillian Riesen

Welcome, Stephen Powell! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experiences with the readers of The Well Canto Newsletter. My aim is to provide aspiring creatives valuable insights from people who have successfully spent decades ‘in the biz’. So let’s jump in!

What are the personal qualities, characteristics, and personality traits that helped you become so successful in your artistic life and career?

SP: Dedication. Perseverance. Resilience. Work Ethic. Commitment. Sacrifice. Balance. Moderation. Perspective. Optimism. Kindness. Trusting the process. Discipline. Confidence. Faith. Courage. Never quit. Never give up.

I don't believe I was born with most of these qualities - perhaps optimism and kindness. Most I learned and gained from musical study, mainly piano and later in life voice lessons, but also private study on the clarinet and saxophone. I was a serious tennis player (I was on my high school tennis team), and to a lesser degree a golfer (not so good at this one). All these activities are solo disciplines, requiring thoughtful and consistent practice and correct repetition, mindful study, discipline and control of your thoughts and body movements. A successful life and career are built on these attributes. The willingness to be vulnerable, to be open to change and others advice and experiences, to find the best balance between controlling outcomes and living with ease and flow. Always being open and seeking to learn, from everyone you encounter in your life, including your own students. It's a process that never ends.

Stephen’s first solo album, American Composers At Play. photo credit: Sue Reno

Looking back on your professional life, what brings you the most satisfaction?

SP: Never having cancelled a performance. Meeting people from all over the world. The privilege of performing some of the greatest music every written. The memories of great performances. Audience satisfaction, moving people, sharing the joy of music and giving people an experience they can remember that matters to their lives. The moments I performed with my wife onstage, and with my two sons (which I hope aren't over yet!). And one thing many people don't think about or realize - maintaining my dignity and my integrity in a field that is not well known for that. I never sought to be part of a group, an inner circle, or someone's favorite singer. I believe in doing the work, doing it well, and treating people with decency and respect along the way, no matter who or where in the theater they work. I never thought I was more important than anyone else in this process. I also was more focused on my family and being a good husband and father. I didn't take long opera gigs in Europe because of the extended time away from home it would require, and I was already gone 6 months a year on average. I'm certain this way of being affected my career path and ultimately the trajectory of my career, but I'm at peace with my decisions. I know I made the right choices for me.

Stephen as Sweeney Todd with Arizona Opera

In what capacity do you work with up-and-coming artists?

SP: In the fall of 2024 I will begin my tenth year as a professor of voice at Mannes School of Music at The New School in New York City. Not all of these students will ultimately become professional singers, but many have the capacity for a life in music if they so choose. I have many private students all over the world who are very committed to living as a singing artist. I offer advice and experience on the life of an artist when appropriate, but mostly I want to help my students develop a sound physical and vocal foundation and technique for a lifetime of performing, whether they choose to live life as a singer or simply have music and singing as an important element of their lives in a non-professional capacity. I also give Master Classes at universities and young artist programs from time to time, a format that allows more work on artistry and interpretation. One of the greatest joys of my teaching life is meeting young people from other countries and cultures. It reaffirms my belief in the human spirit, and that we're all much, much more alike than we are dissimilar.

Stephen as Scarpia in Tosca with Minnesota Opera

What qualities in a developing artist do you feel will most point them toward success?

SP: First they have to love to sing and perform more than anything else in their life. The commitment to live life as an artist takes enormous energy, discipline, and most of all, sacrifice. There's no real way to know this until you try it, of course, so it's intensely personal. A willingness to rebound from inevitable disappointment and rejection is vital, as well as a willingness to be open and honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, and then have the courage to take the action required to constantly improve. It can be a very lonely endeavor, and often a very selfish endeavor. Finding those 2 or 3 people who will always be in your corner, be brutally honest but kind in their assessment of your work because they truly love and care about you as an individual is of supreme importance. It's very difficult to find trust, and to give trust, but that support and belief in you is critical to staying balanced and confident in the pursuit of a career in the arts.

What makes you want to work with developing artists?

SP: I care deeply about the state of classical music in the world, especially in America at the moment. I want our art form to continue and flourish, and to be heard and seen by as many people as possible. Therefore I want artists to perform at the highest level and to the best of their abilities, so listeners can truly understand how special this genre of vocal music really is. When given the opportunity to hear great operatic singing and see live performances, audiences are always moved in ways they never could have comprehended had they not been in the theater to see and hear it for themselves. Opera is a live art form, it needs to be experienced acoustically, that is with no artificial means of electronic transference. We need to feel the voice. To FEEL the voice. There is no substitute for this.

Stephen’s third solo album, ARCHETYPE. photo credit: Sue Reno

What concerns you in your work with developing artists?

SP: Mainly the dwindling opportunities for them, the lack of funding from both private and public sources, the seeming loss of interest in classical music as a cultural necessity and art overall as a society, and the understanding of how vital it is that all humans have the availability, access, and opportunity to experience studying an instrument, or singing in a choir, or painting, or writing. I know these words don't directly answer the question posed, but my concern is that fewer and fewer young people will pursue a career in the arts simply because of the lack of education, knowledge, and exposure. Currently my students range in age from 18 - 35. I see no less enthusiasm and joy for classical music among my students and others majoring in music than what I felt growing up in my generation. But the arts were fostered in public schools when I was young, I was introduced to music and art along with all my fellow students beginning in elementary school. Now it's much more up to individual families to do all the work, and it's just not possible without the aid of the community at large. This desperately needs to change.

In general, what is your best advice to a developing artist?

SP: Practice. Practice. Practice. So that you develop a technique that you can rely upon for your entire performing life. There are far more demands on one's time and attentions today then when I was younger. It's harder to separate yourself from all the distractions of modern life - the constant stream of news, entertainment, social media, etc. - in order to focus and concentrate on your craft and develop the discipline necessary to rise to a high level of proficiency. This is why I said earlier that you need to love singing and making music more than anything else in your life. Battling against the constant buzz of outside stimuli takes incredible strength and devotion. If you have the innate love for it, and have been gifted a voice, then give it all you have. You deserve it, and we deserve it.

Stephen as De Guiche in Cyrano de Bergerac at San Francisco Opera

If you had the chance to start over, would you choose the same professional path?

SP: Yes. For whatever reason - call it providence, genetics, good fortune, whatever - I knew when I began piano lessons at the age of six that I would devote my life to music. I didn't know exactly how it would unfold, of course, but in my heart and soul and body and blood I knew there was nothing else for me. Nothing else could touch or replace the feeling of being immersed in sound and vibration and playing and singing. Any music, mind you. I didn't know fully that I would pursue the classical route as my profession until my teenage years, I just knew I couldn't live without it. I feel like music has always possessed me, that it's what I was meant for in this life, what I was charged to pursue and to share with others. That joy which can't be properly explained or analyzed or reproduced by anything else in this world. This has been my journey, my purpose, my love, my life, and my job. I am truly grateful.

Any final thoughts?

SP: The holistic approach of Well Canto is such a valuable practice for today's young artists. Learning and practicing self-regulation, treating yourself with dignity and kindness, not comparing yourself to other artists, staying true to who you are and pursuing your own self-discovery and purpose - these are necessary aspects of any type of training. This next generation of performers is very fortunate indeed to have available such a tremendous resource to incorporate into their development.

Stephen’s website:

www.stephenpowell.us

Stephen’s Spotify: