tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8349716116574570740.post9032928204320145381..comments2024-01-02T02:11:30.312-08:00Comments on Music Meets Drama: Ellen ReppKathleen Shimetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00366481142387911084noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8349716116574570740.post-82633036511415046072021-01-23T23:11:19.267-08:002021-01-23T23:11:19.267-08:00Repp was my vocal godmother and my good friend. I...Repp was my vocal godmother and my good friend. I studied with her for several years just prior to her retirement ;She offered me free lessons in exchange for light housekeeping (« when you get ready to make the bed, call me » she would boom from the other room; « it’s easier with 2 » She once asked me what then top earning voice teacher Ruth Falcon was charging, and when I provided the dollar amount stated with a slight huff « Well I never charged HER that much « (While other voice teachers’ rates continued to climb above the $100/hr mark, she steadfastly maintained the rate of $50). She rode her stationary bike every morning, frequently walked in Central Park and was impeccably dressed and coiffed at all times. She was in the habit of tossing outgoing mail on the floor in front of the door, knowing that whichever student or accompanist found it there would mail it for her (I once encountered Christine Baranski picking up a pile on her way out). She was one of the only truly sensible adults I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing; she aged so gracefully because she continued to do the work at which she excelled and loved, while consciously acknowledging her limitations as they presented themselves and never hesitating to ask for help. Every year on her birthday she threw an extravagant party, dressed to the nines, fielding calls from students all over the world, singing (beautifully) when prompted, and throwing the masses of roses presented to her into a partially full bath tub so as to avoid the distraction of finding vases while she was entertaining. As an earlier poster mentioned, she closed each work day enjoying her preferred cocktail—scotch and milk—with a neighbor, and then frequently went out to dinner and/or the opera. I have only one bone to pick with Repp: That she left New York too soon, for once making an error in sensible judgment; she didn’t want the cliched, compromised old single woman dying alone in Manhattan story, and believed that the responsible thing to do was to go « home » to Washington state where her relatives could care for her. Her one blind spot seemed to be that 1) It was her true home in New York that gave her life, and 2) That her many grateful students would have leapt at the opportunity to care for her every need. I remember, just before she left, that she presented me with a copy of Willa Cather’s novel « The Song of the Lark », telling me that it would teach me about the soul and the struggles of a singer; I have reread it many times. She also presented me with a draft manuscript of something called « Written on Bark », written by the pianist who accompanied her on a harrowing recital tour through Alaska during the very early years of her singing, before moving to New York. It is one of my greatest regrets that I did not make good on my stated desire to write her biography ; the world so desperately needs to here inspirational stories like hers. Her New York Times obituary read simply « Ellen Repp, Great of heart and loved by all; brava, maestria ». I doubt that I will ever again encounter anyone remotely comparable to this remarkable woman.Elizabeth Fulcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14629310901321470308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8349716116574570740.post-78573609510627208692019-05-08T10:31:20.768-07:002019-05-08T10:31:20.768-07:00I studied with her in her apartment in the early 1...I studied with her in her apartment in the early 1970's traveling weekly from Baltimore...she was a wonderful teacher with the best sense of humor and when I asked about a great tenor I heard on a recording of the Bach B minor Mass...she said I know him...he just retired and is now teaching at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music...in 1978 went to study with ....told him in lesson I wanted to be a priest...he said he studied from age 13 to 22 to be a priest..left...he encouraging me to do....because Miss Repp told me about Leopold Simoneau I add to her to my list of those God directed me...Monsignor David Link...was cantor for Pope Jihn Paul visit to San Francisco...have a YOUTUBE..the American singing priest...they would be proud.Monsignor David Linkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12793146723578276870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8349716116574570740.post-72168105035554188192019-04-22T10:52:07.623-07:002019-04-22T10:52:07.623-07:00How wonderful that I happened upon your writing he...How wonderful that I happened upon your writing here, Kathleen. Ellen Repp was my great-aunt, and her whole family would agree that she definitely was a "force of nature". I enjoyed your description of her, and her life in New York. <br />Best regard,<br />Kari Ellen Merner Karihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03114963392373076328noreply@blogger.com