Art-Opera Sabine Steffan

Studies in Italy    Obtaining rewards    The Grand Masters    The French Masters    The Beginning of an International Career.    Studies    Recordings    Further Studies    Pedagogical Qualifications

Studies in Italy

It was at the Paris Opera at the age of twelve that Sabine Steffan had the opportunity to listen to her very first opera - "Cinderella" by Rossini. She immediately became fascinated by the world of Bel Canto and by the magic of opera.

Sabine entered the world of music when still very young. To begin with via the Conservatory of Music in Perpignan, playing the piano, and later through private tuition, during which time she made several trips abroad to discover more about music. She continued along this path until she eventually discovered singing.

Once, at the age of fourteen, when she was listening to a piece of music by Schubert, she went to the pianist following the concert and exclaimed -"What a shame such beautiful music was only written for piano !" As it happened, the pianist was very interested in singing, and spoke to Sabine about lied - and it was thus that she discovered the world of voice.

Afterwards, one of her Italian masters would say about her voice " Non ha una voci, è la voce." (She does not have a voice, she is a voice !")

Following two years of study in Toulouse, and after obtaining her baccalauréat in music and philosophy, Sabine departed for Italy. Once there, she passed her diplomas within six years by means of studying several subjects at a time. Amongst these subjects were music, theatre and literature -the latter almost equalling her love for music.Sabine stayed in Italy for twelve years, and during her studies often participated in local concerts and musicals organised by the conservatory. At the end of these studies she went to Modena to study singing under Maestro Pola, (the teacher of Luciano Pavarotti.)

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Obtaining rewards

It was during this time that she sang as a soloist with the baroque chambre orchestra "Banchetto Armonico." She also sang as a soloist with the "Arrigo Boito" choir, directed by Maestro Rossi.

She participated in important events in the town of Parma and in the region, notably while continuing to be a soloist attached to the Magistrale de La Stecatta church - a monumental construction created by the greatest architects of the Italian renaissance, and well known for its prestigious performances of the highest artistic quality.

Her studies continued. These included baroque music, leading a choir, stage direction, art history, European and contemporary music, and the interpretation of works and melodies created by the young Italian composer G. Sbernini - amongst them "The Obstinate Lover," based on poems translated from Japanese.

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The Grand Masters

Among her Italian professors were M. Marino - (Bologne University,) P. Gandolfi - (at the time choir master at the La Scala in Milano as well as of the Liceo choir in Barcelona,) M.Conati - (director of Verdian Studies,) and G.Marchesi - (music critic and a renowned authority on lyrical art.)

The young artist was also interested in Slavic composers, notably Chopin and Moniuszko, whom she studied during travels to Poland under the tutorship of the Gliwice Conservatory.

During the time she spent in Italy, Sabine also participated in concerts abroad. She sometimes returned to France, (and also travelled to a number of other countries,) to inaugrate the first Country Festival ("Festival en Campagne,") or participated in prestigious concerts such as " The Toulouse International Evening," where she represented the singing school of Maestro Pola, as well as representing herself as a young singing talent studying abroad.

With the Japanese pianist Yatsuko Tanaka, and Maestro Eugenio Furlotti, she studied grand Italian repertoire. This was a great privilege due to the fact that Madame Tanaka is the pianist for Renatta Scotto and for the baritone Renato Bruson, while Maestro Furlotti played for the great interpreters from the Regio theatre in Parma as well as for the equally well-known Parma Lirica.

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The French Masters

When Sabine returned to France in 1994 she worked with the Parisian professor, Madame Jeannine Cadet from the Paris Opera, who helped teach her the highest level of refinement and discipline, as well as the very difficult subject of the art of French melody and French opera during the 19th century.

She also studied in Paris under the guidance of the conductor and composer Hélène Rasquier who was also a professor at the Alfred Cortot School of Music. Through these studies she developed her taste for forceful composers such as Rachmaninov or Berlioz for whom an undeniable vocal and musical energy is required.

She met and worked with the famous music critic Mozartien Robbins H.C. Landon, who encouraged and guided her towards the development of her 18th century repertoire, in particular Mozartien repertoire.

It was during this time that she began to participate in her first concerts outside Europe.

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The Beginning of an International Career

Due to being urgently required to act as stand-in for a spanish singing artist, Sabine left for South America in the company of the spanish tenor Ruben Vamasquez. It was consequently imperative for her to learn a Zarzuela repertoire and Italian songs within 10 days. Her rapport with the musicians and the Paraguayan conductor Luis Szaran was excellent, and she not only succeeded in being a triumph, but also obtained extremely good critics for her very first international stand-in performance.

Following this, and continuing to participate in the French international artistic exchange system, Sabine left for Cuba in 1996 to begin working with the Cuban pianist Raoul Iglesias, with whom she sang a repertoire of French and Russian melodies. During this time she also discovered composers such as Piazolla as well as a number of Cuban contemporary composers.

In 1998 she collaborated with the French Embassy in Egypt, presenting a concert of French melodies with the pianist Pascale Rozier who was also an accompanist at the Cairo Theatre.

A number of international concerts

Sabine continued to participate in a number of international concerts in which she sang in various European languages, travelling even as far as Russia and Greece - (Theadorakis in Athens in 1990.) More recently she participated in concerts in Paris in which she sang in the Portuguese and Catalan language, with an Iberian repertoire that extended from Manuel de Falla in Granados, and included the Catalan composer F.Monpau as well as the contemporary composer N.Bonet.

With a repertoire of religious music, she continued singing with organists such as Michel Bouvard from the St Sernin Basilica in Toulouse, and Ricardo Miravet from Saint Germain l'Auxerrois in Paris. She also sang at the sanctuary in Rocamadour, presenting a more contemporary repertoire for this occasion.

Her religious repertoire led her to work with choirs, notably classical works by Mozart, Haydn and Handel.

At the Déodat Festival in Séverac in her own region of France, she presented the works of the regional composer. She also participated as a soloist with the group "Flors d'Occitanie," which has presented notable French composers to both France and to countries abroad.

However, as Sabine's travels abroad enlarged her musical domaine and deepened her contact with foreign culture, her art, and her knowledge of singing, one can feel in both her stage and singing presentation that she remains attached to the grand tradition of Italian Bel Canto, and the grand French opera of the 19th century.

Sabine is an admirer of Monteverdi and Italian baroque, especially Vivaldi and Scarlatti, but she admits she prefers to sing Bellini and Donizetti, simply because they are closer to her own personal taste.

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Studies

1981 Entered the Parma International Conservatory(Italy.) Artistic and technical studies with diplomas in the following:

1984 Music theory

1986 Choral singing

1986 Piano

1986 Choral singing under the direction of Maestro Gandolfi, conducter of the La Scala Choir in Milan.  

1987 Harmony
Music analysis
History of music
Musical aesthetics
Singing theory

1987 Diploma in higher studies of singing theory(attained with distinction.)

1987 Diploma in Italian dramatic poetry and literature

1987 Diploma in scenic art under the direction of Maestro Conati.

1989 "Young Talent" medal in lyrical art 

1989 - 1993 Studies in lyrical and vocal perfection under the direction of Maestro Pola (the teacher of Pavarotti) in Modena, Italy.

1994 - 1996 Studies in the interpretation of French lyrics and melodies under the direction of Madame Jeanine Cadet from the Paris opera.

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Recordings

Grand Composers of Italian Opera - 1998

Current projects :
Sacred Music (Voice and Organ) 2001

In preparation with the Orpheus Vocal Assembly -"French children's Songs"

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Further Studies