Working together: Royal Birmingham Conservatoire opera répétiteur course

The singers and conductor get their curtain calls, the orchestra usually takes a collective bow before the final act, but there is one vital musical role in any opera production that rarely receives public acknowledgement: that of the répétiteur, the pianist who works with the singers and conductor in rehearsal.

It is a demanding job, requiring phenomenal keyboard skills and much more besides. ‘You have to be a psychologist, even a therapist at times, able to respond sensitively to the rehearsal situation and anticipate the musical support that is needed – you need to be a good communicator with a strong dramatic sense,’ says Paul Wingfield, head of vocal and operatic studies at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC). But the essence of the répétiteur's skill, he stresses, is the ability to play a piano arrangement of an opera score in an orchestral way. ‘It's not just about playing every note that's on the page – sometimes you may have to add or subtract notes to create the effect that the music will have in performance.’

Traditionally a répétiteur's training has been very much on the job, often in one of the many small opera houses in Germany, but postgraduate courses are offered by most of the UK conservatoires. They can usually be found within the opera or vocal school rather than the keyboard department.

Paul Wingfield, head of vocal and operatic studies at RBC © JAMES ROSE

The Birmingham course is an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Performance, a ‘post-master's level’ qualification aimed at graduates who are already accepting professional engagements, which can continue during the course, both within the conservatoire and externally.

In addition to receiving one-to-one tuition, répétiteurs take an active part in coaching the conservatoire's student singers and playing for singing lessons and classes. They receive weekly lessons in Italian, French, German and Russian and attend stagecraft and movement classes to deepen their understanding of theatrical performance.

They also play an essential part in RBC's performances of short opera scenes and full-scale productions of complete works. ‘We treat them as staff and I trust them as much as if they were professional colleagues,’ says Wingfield. ‘We try to mirror the industry as closely as possible, though I do encourage guest conductors to give as much information to the répétiteurs as they can.’

The RBC course is not new, but was given a boost with the appointment of Wingfield as head of the vocal department in February 2017. He is an experienced répétiteur who trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and National Opera Studio and can undertake the students’ one-to-one tutoring himself. There are plans to expand the number of student répétiteurs who take the course each year, but also to change its duration from four terms to three, in order to make it easier for graduates to take up new staff posts in the autumn.

Asked if there are enough good young pianists auditioning for places on this and similar courses, Wingfield comments that the most accomplished players may not be the most suited to répétiteur work, because it requires such a range of skills, but on the whole, as numbers on the courses are small, there is no shortage of qualified applicants.

‘There is a lot to learn – it is almost a case of rewiring their brains so that they play in a different way – but most people pick up the techniques very quickly. We find organists often make very good répétiteurs, because they are used to looking for orchestral colours in their instrument, and often quite experienced in working with choirs, but first-study pianists can also make the transition easily.’

While the role of répétiteur is for some people a step towards becoming a conductor, for others it is an end in itself. ‘The link between the two jobs is still very strong; playing for rehearsals and working as the conductor's assistant, you learn what to do and what not to do. But there is great merit and honour in being a répétiteur.’

RBC's stunning new building does not yet have a theatre, but Wingfield says that in the meantime, a relationship with the city's Crescent Theatre works very well. His department also has strong links with the Royal Opera House, Opera North and Welsh National Opera where placements are sometimes available.

‘We are a small, intimate department with just 60 to 80 singers at any time,’ says Wingfield. ‘This is a very friendly, welcoming and positive place to learn and our nurturing environment would be an excellent choice for any keyboard player who thinks “repping” might be for them and would like to give it a try.’