Studio LIS carves a niche for singers whose educational experience has been unequal. Elisabeth Stevens focuses on educating singers holistically as part of her efforts to build diversity within the industry.
Soprano Elisabeth “Lis” Stevens is what some might consider to be a late bloomer; however, her story is perhaps best interpreted by the age-old philosophy that no two paths are alike. Growing up in a Black, Baptist home and church in a humble northeastern Pennsylvania community, Stevens had limited exposure to the music that would eventually find her singing upon the world’s larger stages in Italy, France, China, Austria, and the Metropolitan Opera.
Even more limited than the classical music offerings was the diversity.
“I was the only Black senior out of a senior class of about 200 people,” Stevens says—a larger-than-life laugh ringing out over the phone line. “The only other Black people at the school were my siblings.” However, during her high school years, an interest in singing was able to take hold through her involvement in musical theater. Still, she didn’t think of pursuing her voice as a career option—yet.
“I didn’t go into music at first,” says Stevens, who attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA.
“I went into international relations. I came from a focus in musical theater, and the program at the school was all classical performance. I didn’t know anything about becoming an opera singer. And I was definitely behind the 8 ball as a musician.” But the more exposure Stevens had to the classical style of singing, the more intrigued she became.
Eventually, she changed the trajectory of her studies, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, with a minor in Spanish and African-American studies. “I knew coming out of school that I wanted to be an opera singer,” she says. “But I had zero ideas of how to make that real.” Stevens began auditioning for the young artist program circuit—something that didn’t provide many open doors to the aspiring young singer. “It was extremely challenging as a Black woman,” she notes. “I eventually ended up deciding that that just wasn’t the place for me.”
She instead ventured to Europe for performance opportunities, got a few competition wins under her belt, and was tapped to cover Elvira in Verdi’s Ernani at the Met—a role she also debuted during her time performing in Italy. While medical challenges would result in Stevens having to take a hiatus from singing and, instead, finding a career in the nonprofit sector during her time in New York, she began teaching. Through meeting and interacting with young singers trying to find a path to a promising music career, she began to make observations.
“I became increasingly aware how unequally educated we are in music—particularly in the U.S. and of course in more urban communities,” she laments. “You have high schools that don’t offer classical training. You also have the issue of people having different access to private lessons. Then, you have the large amount of people like me who get to college and have never had a private music lesson of any kind.”
In addition to those aspects, Stevens further noticed that even college, university, and conservatory programs had their shortcomings. “All offer a long and different path to becoming an opera singer,” she says. “But the main thing that stuck out was that not all provide access to the same information for singers.”
Stevens wanted to see a place where singers could garner more information surrounding career-building, while taking it a step further. “I wanted to create a place where singers could explore themselves as people, outside of singing,” she says.
Forging a New Path in Young Artist Development
Continuing to base herself in New York, Stevens founded Studio LIS in 2015. One of the first workshops offered by the program explored financial freedom for singers. “It was the idea that singers could come and understand that it’s OK to think about your financial future as much as your artist development,” Stevens says. “It’s OK to ask, ‘How am I going to make money at this?’” It also welcomed singers like Stevens, who had fostered careers outside of singing.
“There was a time when people were afraid to be public about the fact that they had more than one career,” she says. “It was something I needed to do during my time away from singing for my medical needs.” Since its inception, Stevens says the factor that has made Studio LIS stand out is its interest in developing artists as “a total person—not just singers.”
In addition to technical training for artists, with an emphasis on bel canto technique and exploring new repertoire, led by a team of highly qualified faculty members steeped within the industry, it offers lessons, workshops and seminars ranging from opera careers in the 21st century to monetizing your brand and leveraging your skills outside of music to support your music career; customizing programs to the needs of students, young artists, emerging and part- and full-time professional artists; and personalized training programs in New York with Stevens and other industry professionals, including dramatic coachings, audition preparation, business workshops, concert performances and potential auditions.
To meet the mission of making the program a well-rounded offering, those with an interest not only sit down with Stevens to discuss what they want out of life in music but also what they want out of life in general. It has become a key component of the program and one Stevens derived from much of her own journey as she developed opportunities for herself within music.
“The interview holds more weight in the audition process than the submitted recording does,” Stevens notes. “And that’s because it gives us the opportunity to set an action plan. What specific goals does the singer have in mind, and what are they looking to achieve in six months, one year? What is their long-term vision, and what will it take for them to get there? I’ve always been the kind of person who, if they don’t see a way in, they create their own access to it. By the time I had learned about what to do and what not to do in the industry, I realized it was nothing that anyone had ever taught me in school. To this day, I continue to work on actualizing my life according to what I want, rather than believing that the only way to do that is by following the plan that’s laid out for me.”
A Program for All Singers
Stevens admits that as much as she believed she had realized success as a singer, she also believed she had experienced the disparagement that existed within the industry, adding that there is significance in offering a program for singers that not only sees an alternative approach to artistic development but that also finds a Black woman at the helm.
“There aren’t many other programs out there that have been both founded and headed up by a Black individual,” she says. “That’s been really important for the program and has been important for other Black artists to see someone like me, standing where I am now. It lets them know that there is a space for them. And we definitely do attract a lot of Black students, which is nice. We want to be an inclusive space. I think a lot of people in the opera business sincerely want to see change and therefore yes, some things will change and already are shifting as we’ve seen. I’m not sure if the industry as a whole has yet fully recognized the depth of systemic change that is needed to shift things ahead in a way that impacts equity and inclusion for Black people in the industry long term, and the impact that is available in our communities if opera really achieves a lasting change. Art is transformative. So we as artists—performers, creators, curators and producers—have the power to transform not just the industry but the world. I don’t know if we understand that impact yet.”
In addition to mindfully incorporating a platform for diversity, Studio LIS also is open to singers who have taken nontraditional paths and who want to refine and continue developing their talent. It doesn’t impose age restrictions on participants, believing that artistic development is an ongoing process and that all singers should have access to further their education.
“I am in the club that believes that we should not be talking about age in this business,” Stevens says. “To that end, we are 100% open when it comes to age. During 2020, when we hosted a program called ‘Quarantine Sing!’ We had everyone from college juniors and seniors all the way up to people in their 40s. It was super cool and so interesting to watch these singers interacting with one another. They learned from one another. There was so much to gain.”
Programming is catered toward the roster of enrolled participants, drawing primarily from across the U.S. Options in 2022 included Intensive Opera Scenes from March 5 through April 30 and the upcoming Summer Sing 2022.
Additionally, the program, which was founded as a for-profit, is in the process of becoming a nonprofit organization, with the goal of being able to offer future participating singers free tuition. There is no application fee. Students simply submit a resume and a link to a recent recording and fill out an application.
“Obviously, it will make the program a little more competitive, but it also will help provide a solution to the equity problem in this business,” Stevens says. “Race is one factor, but age and financial considerations are as well. The longer you are in this career, the more financial investments need to be made and, sometimes, that can be the biggest challenge a singer faces. There are people who can’t afford to keep putting money into their career. We want to deliver on what we promise and not take advantage of singers in that way.”
Stevens’ biggest goal moving forward is to continue finding ways to make Studio LIS as accessible as possible for singers, as well as striving to emphasize the importance of a holistic view of artistic preparation and development.
“There are fewer jobs available, and the jobs that are available don’t pay as well,” she notes. “With that said, there are more people flocking to a career in opera than there ever have been in history. The way we’re educating singers now must be different than what it has been in the past. We need to talk to singers about business, marketing, and finances. We also can’t have the tunnel vision we used to that said if you don’t devote 100% of yourself to becoming an opera singer, you might as well go and do something else. I wanted to become an opera singer, but I also needed to make money. There was never a time I wasn’t working another job, except now that I am running this program.
There has been a shift in our culture, where people are allowed to do different things and take different paths. We’re no longer about thinking, ‘We do things this way and not that way.’ The world has changed. And that requires our approach to education change.”
To learn more, visit studiolisvoice.com. You can also find Lis Stevens’ practice journal, Perfect Practice: A Journal for Singers on Amazon or at studiolisvoice.com/perfectpractice.
