Interview with Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra Harpist, Susan Robinson
By: Nareg B., Capital Opera Teens; National Opera Teens Advisory Committee
Capital Opera Teens loved the Washington National Opera’s Carmen (running September 19 through October 3, 2015)—the sets, the costumes, the incredible artists! The timeless story of a willful personality making her way in the world. But because we saw a piano dress rehearsal, we did not get the full effect of the production. We were missing the orchestra. So I thought I would interview a member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra to get her perspective on Carmen.
I was lucky to be able to speak with Ms. Susan Robinson* (see below for bio), principal harpist of the Opera House Orchestra since 1995. This is her 3rd Carmen here in DC.
Tell us a little about your experience performing Carmen with young conductor Evan Rogister.
Rogister has lots of energy (one of my colleagues quipped that he is the “hardest working conductor” on the circuit, because he does really emote on the podium and sweats profusely!) He is a very appealing conductor and intensely engaged with the music and with the orchestra. Lots of eye contact, lots of positive contact. He’s quite tall of course, and he even does a little singing and other audible things on the podium! While it is rare that a group of 60-90 individuals are unanimous in their opinion, and it is rare that a conductor won’t cause offense in some quarter (say, by spending too much time shushing the brass, or by failing to acknowledge a woodwind solo), I do believe that Rogister is well respected and liked.
How does Rogister’s conducting compare to the other Carmens you have performed?
I’ve played two other runs of Carmen during my 20 years in the Opera House Orchestra. The first was with Domingo on the podium. As many opera musicians will (respectfully) note: Domingo is not really a conductor first and foremost, but he had his deep musicality and profound understanding of the vocal challenges of an opera. I always enjoyed having him on the podium, even though there were some “special” challenges when he was up there, because he was so musical and he would often do a lot of singing in rehearsal, which was of course great to hear.
The other production I did was under Julius Rudel, who had a long and very distinguished career as an opera conductor. Many of my colleagues had played under him quite a bit in the early years, but I never had. Rudel was the opposite of Rogister—he was quite elderly at the time and his conducting was marked by an extreme economy of movement. That may have been due in part to the fact that he was older, but I also felt that given his long career, he had so internalized the music and the technique that that was all that was needed. It was just amazing how much he communicated with so little gesture. I loved him (and he was one of those conductors who seemed to really love the harp.) Sadly he fell twice during the rehearsal period and the run was conducted by the cover conductor.
How does Rogister’s “vision” of the score compare to other conductors you have worked with? Are there any particular challenges you face in the orchestra under different conductors or when performing different operas?
Of course, you should understand that each section of the orchestra has different challenges. For the harp, the challenge is often “extra musical”: in Carmen, in all Verdi and Wagner operas, really in much of the repertoire, the harp plays very intermittently. So part of my challenge is sitting down there and waiting for 20-30 minutes at a stretch and staying fresh and knowing when to come in! And the wait for Wagner and Verdi operas stretches to literally hours at a time! Once a horn player who sat next to me asked “What bar do you come in on?” so he could mark down “harp” in his part as a cue, and I said “Bob, you realize that when I make that entrance it’s the first I’ve played in about 65 minutes—are you sure you trust me?” That was a long-winded way of pointing out that sometimes as little cogs in a big machine we don’t necessarily see the big picture, or the conductor’s overall “vision” but are more focused on where our next entrance is, or being sure to follow the flute, or playing in tune with your section.
Thank you so much for your insights. Do you have any final thoughts for Opera Teens?
I want to congratulate you on your efforts in getting teens out to the opera! I think that is awesome! I will say that my husband and I have had our chamber music group IBIS for nearly a decade, and while we do have parents who bring younger kids to concerts (many of our concerts are free) seeing a teenager is a rare event indeed! (And I am a parent to a 17 year old.) So, if you don’t mind, I am going to add you to our mail list, and encourage any of your teen members to email me at [email protected] if they would like to be on our list as well. Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch and hope to see you at the opera soon!
*Susan Robinson is the principal harpist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and the principal harpist of the Boston ‘POPS’ Esplanade Orchestra; she also performs frequently with the Boston Symphony. Susan and her husband, violinist Joseph Scheer, are the founders of the IBIS Chamber Music Society (www.ibischambermusic.org), a presenter of free concerts that been praised as “splendid” and “compelling” by the Washington Post. Susan is a graduate of Harvard University and holds an Artist Diploma from the Boston University School for the Arts.