Happy Retirement!

Seattle Opera Choristers Stephen Wall and Eleanor Stallcop-Horrox, Assistant Conductor Philip A. Kelsey, and Company Manager Paula Podemski have worked at the opera a combined total of 145 years, creating memorable opera experiences both onstage and behind the scenes. Tosca marks the end of their Seattle Opera careers, but before they start the next chapter of their lives, these veteran professionals shared some of their best memories. All agree that they are looking forward to being in the audience and staying in touch with their friends at the opera for many years to come.

PAULA PODEMSKI: CONCIERGE TO THE STARS

Locating nearby gyms, securing childcare, and arranging medical appointments are some of the day-to-day artist’s requests Paula has fulfilled as the Company Manager. Hired in 1993 as a Production Assistant, Paula became the Company Manager several years later. Coordinating visa applications, casting child performers, and recruiting supernumeraries have been some of her other duties.

Paula has a deep appreciation for supers because they’re volunteers who are required to attend rehearsals and perform in every performance. “It’s a huge commitment,” she says.

But in 1998, Paula encountered a few supernumeraries who weren’t willing to go the distance. She recruited 20 bodybuilders to appear shirtless in Tristan and Isolde, a task that took four months. “I went to gyms and powerlifting and bodybuilding competitions,” she remembers. Among the men who volunteered, a few weren’t very reliable. “At least two to four of them wouldn’t show up,” she says.

After 32 years at Seattle Opera, Paula will miss her colleagues and volunteers the most. “It’s like my second family,” she says. “It’s a group that puts aside personal agendas for the good of the whole, for the good of the show.”

PHILIP A. KELSEY: A MASTER OF THE RING

Philip has had a role at Seattle Opera since the 1983 Ring cycle when he joined the company as a pianist, making him one of the few staff  members who’s worked on all three Rings. He remembers it as an exciting time as well as a labor of love, because of the commute from Portland.

Since then, Philip has been a Music Administrator, Assistant Conductor, and a Vocal Coach at the opera. “As a vocal coach, I help singers not only with language pronunciation, but also with comprehending the text,” he said. So, most coaches, like him, are language junkies. “I’m pretty fluent in German, I read French, I understand Italian, I’ve studied Russian, I’ve studied Japanese, I’ve studied Czech diction, and will happily try to pronounce just about anything correctly.”

What’s more, as the Assistant Conductor, Philip leads off -stage musicians and singers, and he plays the harpsichord when a production requires it. And during the company’s 2009 production of Pagliacci, he arranged an 11-minute chamber piece from music by Leoncavallo, which was played during the performance.

In retirement Philip plans on spending time with his four grandchildren—who live nearby.

ELEANOR STALLCOP-HORROX: MAID OF HONOR

It’s not easy being a member of an opera chorus. Sometimes the costumes are uncomfortable and the choreography confusing. Then there are times when you’re required to sing from the catwalk high above the stage. But long-time soprano Eleanor Stallcop-Horrox loved it all. “The catwalk was a bit scary,” says Eleanor, who has been a member of the Seattle Opera Chorus since 1997.

Eleanor fondly remembers her 2008 role in Elektra. “I was the Fifth Maid. I thought I would sing  five notes. There were three pages!” she says. Mary McLaughlin, who sang The Overseer’s part, was directed to knock Eleanor to the floor and dunk her head in a bucket of water. “Mary tried several times to dunk me, but the bucket was too small, and she kept whacking my forehead on the side of the bucket,” Eleanor says. Finally, they got a wash tub. Once her head was in the water, the other maids had to get her wig wet.

“So, when my hair came out of the water, there was a huge dramatic spray of water,” she says.

The chorus is like a family, explains Eleanor. When she was diagnosed with cancer, the women accompanied her to treatments and checked on her. “God, they were wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. This is a passionate group of people. I will miss being around them.”

Stephen Wall (left) as a soldier in Il trovatore, 2019, with Head of Coach-Accompanists David McDade.

STEPHEN WALL: THE BALLARD OPERA MAN

Tenor Stephen Wall has performed in Seattle Opera’s Götterdämmerung twelve times. “My first performance was in the 1982 Ring cycle, when the company was doing the Wagner masterwork every summer,” he recalls.

After nearly 45 years at the opera, Stephen has appeared as a chorus member in 118 operas, has had 13 supporting roles, and has served as the chorus personnel coordinator three times. But his most beloved role was as The Ballard Opera Man during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When everyone was stuck inside and socially distancing, Stephen stumbled into the role. He began playing string bass on his front lawn. People noticed and he soon replaced the bass with karaoke opera. “I thought I would just make some noise and see if anyone would stick their heads out of their front doors,” Stephen remembers.

The neighbors did more than stick their heads outside—they began attending his improvised recitals. When the local media published stories about his performances, more people came. At the height of his popularity, Stephen believes around two hundred people came out to hear 25 minutes of music. “I was conflicted. I was enjoying it, but I didn’t want to encourage social gatherings. There were rules—six feet distance, masks, and the whole ball of wax,” he remembers. He performed 100 front-yard recitals during the pandemic.