A native of Olathe, Kansas, Aurelia Andrews is currently on staff as a Korrepetitorin at Theater und Orchester Heidelberg in Germany, and as the Youth Chorus Master at the Glimmerglass Festival. She has previously served as a member of the music staff at The Dallas Opera, LA Opera, Intermountain Opera, and Pacific Opera Project.
Aurelia has worked with noted conductors James Conlon, Emmanuelle Villaume, Riccardo Frizza, and Placido Domingo. She is a graduate of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at LA Opera, has a Masters degree in Opera Coaching from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelors in Piano Performance from Brigham Young University.
As a conductor, Aurelia has experience in choral music, and has conducted Camelot, The Glimmerglass Festival’s production of Ben Moore’s Odyssey, and Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood.
Upcoming engagements include Pagliacci, Summernight Dreamers, and Lulu in Heidelberg.
1) Tell us how and why you chose your career. What has the path been like?
I grew up making music with my brothers and my cousins, so collaborating has always been a huge part of my musical life. My teacher in high school was also a professional accompanist and chamber musician, and he encouraged me and really cultivated that skill in me. I majored in Piano Performance at BYU, where I worked exclusively on solo music, but within a few months I was back to accompanying juries, lessons, and opera rehearsals. Those were some of my first experiences working with singers, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that I loved it!
After that, I went to the University of Texas at Austin for my Master’s in Opera Coaching, got into opera young artist programs and festivals, and have been following that path ever since.
Probably the most challenging part has been navigating all of this as a mom. My son, Graham, was born before I started grad school, and for a lot of the transition from school to career, I was a single mom moving cross-country every few months with my son and trying to build a foundation for my career. Although it’s becoming more accepted and more common, there really aren’t very many young mom opera coaches/pianists, and it leads to a lot of challenges in uncharted waters, with very little precedent. In my experience, it’s one hundred percent worth the effort and creativity it requires, and I truly believe that being a parent makes me a better worker, and being a worker makes me a better parent.
2) What’s the funnest part of your job?
Oh man, I love playing staging rehearsals. There’s something so fun about being a part of the process. I love being able to collaborate with these incredibly talented singers, and watching the shows come together. When we first arrive on contract, there’s a sing-through of the show, and then over the course of a few weeks, we stage the whole opera.
It’s an incredible journey, and there’s nothing quite like it. I work very closely with the conductors, because in the rehearsal room, I’m basically a stand-in for the orchestra. It keeps me constantly on my toes, following singers and the conductor, trying to make musical choices, trying to sound as much like an orchestra as possible, and sometimes navigating a rehearsal that’s happening in 2 or 3 languages simultaneously.
The other thing about it that I absolutely love, is the opportunity it affords us to see so much of the world, and to meet so many people in every place we work/live. I feel like my son and I have families in every place we have lived and worked, and we have gained so many priceless experiences and relationships through all of the people we have met. I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and I am so incredibly grateful for all the villages that have helped me raise Graham, and frankly, that have helped raise me!
3) How does Europe’s opera scene differ from that of the United States?
The biggest difference that I have noticed between my work in the US and my work here in Germany is that in America everything is freelance, and here everything is long-term. In America, my contracts are between 2-12 weeks long. At the end of each contract, you move to a different city and opera house, working with different people on different shows.
Here in Germany, you stay with the opera house. There of course are guest singers that are brought in, but that is typically the exception, not the rule. It’s a unique opportunity for me, because I get to stay in one place for a long time, do lots of shows at once, rather than focusing on one at a time, and I get to really live in one place, rent an apartment, and have a ‘regular job.’
I must admit that it is a little different for me because my first season in Germany is also the COVID season, but the biggest change for me is the difference in expectations. In America, we are expected to show up with the show already learned and ready to go on day one, and this is especially true for the pianist. If the pianist doesn’t know the show, then rehearsals legitimately just can’t happen.
Where I’m working now, the singers and the pianists find out about the shows at the same time, so we are all learning each show together. It is a very different feeling and one that I’m still getting used to. I do miss walking into the rehearsal room for the first time and meeting new people, and maybe seeing a couple of old friends—but the trade off is that everyone here knows each other and we all get to go home to our families every night. That’s pretty priceless. Also we all have healthcare, and in our business, that’s as magical and unheard of as a unicorn.
4) You’re married to an opera singer. Do you ever do music stuff together for fun?
My husband’s name is Chaz’men Williams-Ali, and he’s a tenor. He and I met in the summer of 2016 while we were both working for The Glimmerglass Festival. We became friends through my son Graham, actually. Chaz and I didn’t really work together musically at the beginning of our friendship or at all while we were dating. Our first collaboration was after we were already married, in a recital at the University of Iowa (his alma mater). As of now, we’re working together full time, because we are both employed at the same theater here in Heidelberg, and we’re still figuring out our working dynamic. I think we do a pretty good job of leaving work at work….most of the time.
Chaz and I come from super different musical backgrounds; I am so so so classically trained and strait-laced (my piano teacher in high school used to tell me I was such a ‘polite pianist’). Chaz grew up playing and singing blues and soul music with his dads and uncles in bars and clubs, and also Gospel music at church. I think one of the best parts of our working together, is that moment when we end up at the same result or goal, even though our roads there were completely different. Also, Chaz has taken it upon himself to round out my education by teaching me about Gospel music, Michael Jackson, and 90’s R&B.
5) What are your best tips for parents who want to encourage their kids to keep practicing their instruments? (Or not?)
I have 3 things to preach here: Ownership, Quality over Quantity, and Teacher
Ownership: The child needs to take ownership of his/her instrument and practice time. I took lessons from my mom until I was 11, when I asked her for a really advanced teacher. She told me that when I could pay for it, I could have it. So I started teaching lessons myself, and when I was earning enough, I went back to my mom and pestered her until she found me a teacher. I’m not saying that every kid needs to pay for their own lessons (there would be a serious dip in piano instruction if that happened, ha!), but I do believe that we are more motivated to do things that we value, and if you can find a way to help your children see and feel the value of their lessons, they’ll be more motivated to make the most of their instruction.
Quality over Quantity: It is folly to focus on the QUANTITY of practice time. Rather, focus on the QUALITY of practice time. It is far better to have 10 mins a day of really good practice, than to have 30 mins of unfocused reinforcement of bad habits and wrong notes. Try and find a nice mix of pieces that challenge them and also pieces that interest them. There’s nothing at all wrong with playing the Harry Potter theme songs (SHAMELESS PLUG FOR WARNER BROTHERS) at a level that is way easy (I’m talking big-note versions here) AND simultaneously working on your Clementi sonatinas.
Teacher: Get a good teacher. Pay the money for a good teacher. Teachers are like therapists; there are a million of them who are certified, and about ten of them who are truly qualified. Don’t waste your money on the teacher down the street, or the teacher in your church congregation, or your mom-friend. Just because someone has these abilities—reading music, playing the piano well, picking method books—that does not mean they are a good teacher.
A good teacher will find a way to learn what motivates each individual child, will create a method for each child that is tailored to their specific strengths and your goals, and will keep a good balance of challenge/victory so your kid feels motivated and empowered throughout the process of learning a skill that is not easy! A big red flag: if the teacher uses method books exclusively. We learn to love reading by reading good literature. We learn to love music by playing good music. Get you a teacher who uses good music to teach.
Thank you, Aurelia!