For Frankston local Steven Gallop, opera was never part of his grand plan. His singing journey began with school musicals in Brisbane, followed by amateur choruses in Queensland, but it wasn’t until in his mid-20s that singing began to take centre stage.
Steven was working as a teacher while singing in amateur choruses at the Queensland Light Opera Company and then the Queensland Opera Company. It was his singing teacher, renowned Australian mezzo-soprano Margreta Elkins, who challenged him to pursue singing professionally. “She basically gave me an ultimatum to either teach or sing,” said Steven. “And I made the decision because I thought ‘Well, you only have one life’.”
He left his job as a teacher, although he continues to occasionally relief teach, and studied at the Queensland Conservatorium for a year. He was then given a position as a young artist with the Queensland Opera Company, before auditioning for Opera Australia.
He secured a two-year contract with Opera Australia and moved to Sydney before winning the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera (formerly known as the Sydney Sun Aria) Scholarship in 1992. The win launched Gallop’s international career, which took him to Vienna for 14 years.
Over the course of his overseas career, Steven performed roles such as Anthony Carol in The Piano Tuner at Covent Garden, the Hotel Manager in Powder Her Face in Vienna, Rome, Naples, and Chicago, and Swallow in Peter Grimes in Santiago, Chile.
He returned to Australia in 2008 and settled in Frankston with his partner, where they continue to live with their son. “I’d auditioned for Australian Opera when the director was in Europe, and I was offered a role back in Australia that was in Melbourne,” said Steven.
“I was offered The Bonze in Madam Butterfly, and I just had a feeling that it was the right time.”
Among the things Steven values about living in Frankston is the proximity to the beach. His connection with the water has extended into his relief teaching, by helping with beginner surf camps at Woodleigh School, where his son attends. “It’s got everything,” he said. “It’s a great city.”
Since returning to Australia, Steven has taken on major roles with Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Melbourne Opera, and the State Opera of South Australia, including The Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Angelotti in Tosca, and Rocco in Fidelio. His latest role was Ferrando in Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore, which premiered at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre in August.
It’s a great privilege, I think, to be able to sing Verdi’s work
Steven said performing Verdi’s work was a great opportunity to show his voice. “It’s a great privilege, I think, to be able to sing Verdi’s work,” said Gallop. “It really shows what singers can do.”
In Il Trovatore, his character Ferrando opens the opera by recounting a dark story which drives the plot. “It’s a melodramatic opera, a fantastic drama with incredible music and familiar tunes that the audience knows,” said Steven.
As well as the famous score, Steven feels the opera continues to resonate with audiences for several reasons. “There are a lot of political themes, with the conflicts, and so it resonates with audiences today in that you still see those sorts of conflicts existing in the world, unfortunately,” said Steven. “Of course, you also have the other thing, which is most important, that people can relate to, which is love, and all those emotions.”
Steven said preparation for any opera role takes lots of time and effort. He said, “The standard is incredibly high with the work that we do.” He begins looking at music as soon as he is cast. For his role as Ferrando, Steven practised for months, including coaching sessions with conductor Raymond Lawrence before rehearsals began.
“First is learning it myself, then coaching, polishing, and then you have to have the music off the score, as we say, before you start production rehearsals,” said Steven. “And then we go into about four weeks of rehearsal, with one of those weeks in the theatre.”
After decades of performing on stage, Steven said for him, the greatest reward is the connection he is able to form with the audience. He said, “I love being on stage. I love the connection with audiences and being able to move them in some emotional way. And remove them from their reality, take them away from their real lives.”
Looking ahead, Steven said he is unsure of what the future may hold, although he hinted that he may be performing some of Richard Wagner’s work next year.