Prompting is a job many people don’t even know exists. What is it like?
Prompting is very demanding. It took two years for me to even get competent, and I know they considered not using me for complex jobs. I weathered through and my skills increased. It’s technically challenging. You need to be aware of the orchestra and the singers. I need to use musical and social and language skills. I need to control nerves and remember that I am not a performing musician or the conductor. I deliberately don’t study the orchestral scores, though I do prepare on the piano-vocal scores, or impose my own version of the piece. You need to control your impulses. But prompting is also one of the more social musical jobs. I get to relate to the people and hobnob with the singers. Any close calls while down in the prompter’s box? I was surprised during the first piano dress rehearsal of Tosca. When the firing squad is aiming the guns downstage, they aren’t aiming at the audience, but at you. The same with La Giaconda: The explosions happen right by the prompter’s box. Fog on
