2022年12月8日
By Haley Dittbrenner ’25
“I heard about one of the opera singers at Illinois getting a full-time job at the Lyric Opera of Chicago 和 I thought, ”等, 你可以这么做? 全职?’”施泰纳说. “From the time I heard that you could be a full-time opera chorister, that’s what I wanted.”
Steiner’s Susquehanna education serves as the bedrock for his entire career in music, he said.
“There’s a community aspect to learning that is unique; I think I worked with almost every teacher in the music department in one class or another, 和 they each played a role in my development as a well-rounded musician 和 professional,施泰纳说.
After graduating from Susquehanna with a degree in vocal performance, Steiner earned his master’s degree from the University of Illinois. After marrying his wife, 桑德拉·泰勒08年, also a Susquehanna graduate, 和 welcoming twin girls, Steiner accepted a position at Columbia University in the Office of the President. It was then that Steiner first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 during a production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
“这是一头猛犸象, six-hour-long歌剧, 和 my call time for the finale of Act III was something like 11 p.m. I remember walking back to the subway after each performance at 1 a.m. buzzing 和 smiling like an idiot,” he said. “在那之后, I was in 19 productions as an extra chorister from then until fall 2021, when I was hired for a full-time position in the chorus.”
Sharing Opera Music More Widely
Alongside his work with the Met, Steiner created Opera Database, a website that allows users to search for operas in the public domain via voice type, 语言, 时间段和关键字. The site contains over 5,000 pdf文档, 近35,000 opera listings 和 additional resources for opera singers. Each month, the database sees an average of 2,500 visitors from across 90 different countries.
“I started the Opera Database after grad school. It was a way for me to collect all the aria PDFs I could find in one place 和 also learn some programming,施泰纳说. “I’ve always loved computers 和 dabbled in programming, but starting that project forced me to learn some of the basics of database architecture 和 backend 语言s that I had been avoiding. A few years later, I transitioned into a full-time IT role at Columbia as a result of that work.”
Much of Steiner’s job at the Met involves rehearsal 和 memorization. Over four days in October, he performed 和 rehearsed for eight different operas: Medea, Idomeneo, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Tosca, Peter Grimes, Don Carlo, Rigoletto 和 茶花女. Many of the workdays can be up to 12 or 13 hours long.
“I get to sing with some of the best musicians I’ve ever heard, 和 that’s before the principals even walk through the door, most of whom have a generosity of spirit 和 love for their work that keeps me motivated,施泰纳说. “At some point, everybody around you will be as good as or better than you. The easiest way for you to distinguish yourself is to do things that professionals do — show up on time, 回复邮件, know your music 和 instrument better than your colleagues, 有团队精神, 是一个好去处，沟通良好. All of those are in your control 和 will get you work.”