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Rise Stevens Papers, 1962-1975Finding AidEncoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.© 2005
Biographical NoteRisë Stevens, undatedRisë Stevens was born in New York City 11 Jun 1913. She studied at Julliard and Mozarteum, Salzburg, working with Anna Schoen-Rane and Vera Schwartz. She had her debut in Prague and returned to the US for her first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1938. She married Walter Surovy in 1939 and had one son, Nicholas. Until her retirement in 1961, "she virtually owned many of the great mezzo[-soprano] roles" in classic opera. During World War II, she traveled with the Hollywood Victory Caravan. She was a regular performer on both radio and television and recorded for both Columbia and RCA Victor. After her 1961 retirement from performing, Stevens continued her involvement in opera as director of the Met's National Company, "dedicating to taking opera to hundreds of American cities where opera was not available." She later served as president of Mannes College of Music (1975- 78) and returned to the Met as director of its National Council Auditions (1980-88). She established the Risë Stevens scholarship at Adelphi College. Risë Stevens has been honored many times over her long career including honorary degrees from Russell Sage (H.H. D.), Hobart, and Smith Colleges (Mus. D.). Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Contents of the CollectionThe Risë Stevens Papers include correspondence, speeches, interviews, articles, legal papers and contracts, scripts, fan mail, photographs, music notebooks, concert scores, memorabilia, clippings, and artwork. The collection primarily documents Stevens's administrative roles in the Metropolitan Opera Company and in the National Endowment for the Arts. Items of particular interest include correspondence to and from opera colleagues and friends regarding Metropolitan Opera National Company trials and triumphs, such as a labor dispute in 1969; addresses and an interview with former Metropolitan Opera Broadcast announcer, Milton Cross (1966); and a script for General Manager Rudolph Bing's "gala" in 1972. NOTE: There is no container list for this collection. Contact the Sophia Smith Collection for more information. Return to the Table of Contents Search TermsReturn to the Table of Contents |
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