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Denise Shepherd (1927-2014)

Remembrances from her colleagues

Adrian Collette AM, Vice-Principal (Engagement), The University of Melbourne
Former CEO Opera Australia

“Denise had such vitality – as a coach she was ruthless and boundlessly encouraging at the same time. She dared you to be your best! Preparing French repertoire with her – particularly the songs of Ravel and Duparc – was one of the most satisfying experiences that came my way. She was mischievous and impossibly elegant, had a cabaret artist’s instinct for satire.  She inspired and loved singers, and made a truly vital contribution to the development of professional singers in this country”

 

Marilyn Richardson, soprano

In 1996 a tall, elegant woman walked out in a Melbourne restaurant to sing French cabaret songs.  She was then a distinguished, silver-haired nearly-70 year old!  Many in the friendly but curious audience knew her only as their French teacher.

This is the Parisian-Australian we have just lost, Mme Denise Shepherd - a French teacher, and teacher of French.  Those who came to watch her cabaret performance that night knew - what, exactly? That she had taught French to the girls at Merton Hall for 19 years; that with waning eyesight (she was legally blind), she was coaching classical singers in the art of the French mélodie, and opera singers their roles in French operas like Carmen at the Victoria State Opera.  How would she perform Cabaret? With aplomb and élan, I’m told!

When I visited Denise in Melbourne at this later stage of her life, I came to realise that this colleague and coach was, in fact, a woman on the run.  On the run more recently from blindness and boredom.  But in 1953 when she reached Australia, on the run from love, she nevertheless ran happily into the safe arms of the Australian pianist and teacher Roy Shepherd, who became her husband.  Ah love!

A true Parisienne, born Denise Schubenel on December 8th,1927, she studied 18thC French civilisation at the Sorbonne for 2 years 1946-47, and later singing at the Conservatoire, where her teacher of interpretation was the renowned Pierre Bernac.  Other magic names fell from her lips, like Nadia Boulanger, Jean-Louis Barrault and a young Marcel Marceau.  “He was very dishy”, she said.  We were open-mouthed.

By nature not ambitious but determined, her birth, upbringing and education placed Denise directly in the Paris of 1930s and 40s, the German Occupation and Liberation of WW2, the Paris of existentialism and the absurd - “we loved dancing the boogie woogie”, she said.  Camus was one of her lecturers - “We were all depressed; we were existentialists!”

From riding side-saddle in the Bois de Boulogne with her grandmother (“very beautiful and very correct”), and taking part in plays and concerts in the extensive garden of the Schubenel family’s large home at Le Vésinet near Paris, she grew into something of a rebel.  During the Occupation, the aim of Denise and her cohort of teenage boyfriends - “a sort of junior Résistance” constantly hiding and in danger, was to cause trouble for the Germans.  Like hiding a loudly ticking alarm clock, carefully concealed in a paper bag, under a seat at a Salle Pleyel concert attended by German officers.  Or spending the night crouched in a ditch, counting truckloads of retreating German soldiers.  “You little fools”, admonished her angry Papa.

But in 1948 dear Papa died suddenly, there was no money to keep house and servants, Mama fell to pieces and their home was sold.  “From ‘jeunesse dorée’ (gilded youth) to nothing”, said Denise of her life at that time.  She asked her mother’s old kindergarten friend Christian Dior for some modeling work - “Your mother will kill me”, he remarked.  Being a model was considered worse than going on stage!  She escaped to earn a slightly better living with an offer from Opera Strasbourg.  Still only 20, she soon found herself unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, singing leading roles when the principal soprano became ill.  Mama and her brother-in-law, however, decided she was ruining her reputation.  “Choose!” they demanded, between a somewhat shameful career in the theatre, and her family.  Of course, Denise chose her family, following the advice of visiting star Yvonne Printemps.

She admitted to Pierre Bernac that she did not possess the “feu sacré” to continue her studies, and dabbled in retail - “I was totally spoilt and did what I wanted”.

At Morabito (“the best shop in Paris”), she was taken under the wing of Francois Durand de Lieux, 20 years her senior.  An escape to England to teach boys at the Blue Coat School, founded by Edward VI in 1553, provided some distraction. 

Riding to hounds and falling in love - “but would he look so good off his horse?” - she loved England!   Back in Paris, her disastrous love affair with “the love of my life” led to utter desperation and a fortuitous rescue by the Australian organist Norman Johnston and his wife Marjorie, whom she’d met in Canterbury.  Unhappy, and resisting her family’s efforts to marry her off, she accepted Norman’s offer to make a final escape to Australia, and freedom!   It took only a short while for her to realise that she was ready to marry, settle down and raise two adored boys.  Her Gallic self-indulgence  - “I swear I will jump into the river” - was continually balanced by Roy Shepherd’s calm Anglo-Saxon presence - “Whatever you like, dear”.

This is how Lady Luck found us all. In Denise Shepherd, trained in her beloved French culture, the thirsty Francophiles of Australia found a direct line to “the horse’s mouth”.   Moreover, she was as surprised and delighted to find herself so highly valued, as we in the Antipodes were to have discovered her, a French jewel suddenly in our midst.   We will miss her in every way.

 

David Hobson, tenor

Denise Shepherd (nee Schubenel) was an elegant, sophisticated and brilliant French language coach who, particularly fortunate for local classical singers, moved to Australia in the 1950s. We have lost an important and vital figure in the classical music sphere. To have had someone with such great knowledge, talent, skill and generosity in the field of French mélodie, chanson and opera so readily available to study with, was a huge gift to the musical and cultural landscape of Melbourne. We lucky Oz singers were given an armchair ride into this world of European culture.

Time stood still in a working session with Denise as the air seemed to be perfumed with the charm of a bygone era as she weaved her Parisian savoir faire. I recall working on Reynaldo Hahn songs for a recording with the pianist David McSkimming where Denise recounted a session with the composer and his own interpretations of the very songs we were performing. What a treat! One would need a hefty overseas scholarship and a bit of luck to get that type of coaching and yet here it was in our own backyard, with a true Parisienne who had rubbed shoulders or studied with the artistic elite of Paris: Poulenc, Marcel Marceau, her teacher Pierre Bernac, her lecturer Albert Camus, Christian Dior among countless others, and this combined with a host of anecdotes and stories that she could and would toss off with the ease that would hold you spellbound.

Denise was passionate about her French heritage and about young singers and very determined to marry them together. She would impart her knowledge with wit and veracity yet always allowing the individual character of the performer to shine through, never interfering with the technique of the singer. If anything the voice would be freer as a consequence of the performer finding meaning and motivation through the text.

She would generously organize soirees in her Kooyong apartment to prepare singers for recital programs and concerts. These were very elegant affairs, all catered for in a classic way befitting her love of food and hospitality. Her good humour and vitality was infectious as we were all treated to her unique amalgam of European style and Australian openness.

I feel very humbled and blessed to have studied and spent time with this most lovely and remarkable woman and know that she will be greatly missed but that her indelible mark has been etched into the fabric of our community.

 

Gary Rowley, baritone

I first met Denise when I started the Victoria State Opera Young Artists Program in 1990. She was the formidable French coach. Dauntingly, the schedule at the time had a very French feel and this meant that we had to come to terms with this intimidating woman sooner rather than later. She was to become one of our greatest friends and supporters during the times we shared.

She was as unrelenting when it came to her beloved language as she was in her support for those who showed a willingness to engage in it.

Denise safely guided us through the linguistic minefields presented by Carmen, Samson et Dalilah and Les pêcheurs de perles.

She also encouraged us to participate with her in concerts of French cabaret music at venues such as Mietta’s and the various clubs around Melbourne.

She was boss, friend, mentor always serious about French language and culture while at the same time managing to be ‘one of the boys’. I will never forget the joy she showed in arriving at rehearsals on the back of a Harley, ostensibly because it was convenient and it was a Carmen rehearsal after all.

More than anything I recall her retelling of her experiences in occupied France.

Possessed of a sly sense of humour, a sharp intellect and a love of the informal, she will be greatly missed.

 

Linnhe Robertson, accompanist, Artistic & Research Consultant for Opera and Voice Guildhall School of Music & Drama

I heard of the passing of Denise Shepherd with great sadness. She was a vibrant, quirky and unique personality...one of a kind. A caring and loyal friend to those closest to her and a brilliant and outstanding French coach & teacher to hundreds of young singers.

Those of us who have worked with her count ourselves as truly fortunate to have been left such a rich legacy from her teaching. In her lifetime she brushed shoulders with the likes of Poulenc, Pierre Bernac, Jean-Paul Sartre, Edith Piaf, Yvonne Printemps, to name but a few. She had many discussions with me about that era in Paris after the Second World War and the extraordinary artistic life of those times. Everything I have learnt from her has proved to be hugely valuable and important in my own work. I am also sure that I am not the only one who has passed on Denise's legacy in their own teaching studio. Her expectations as a teacher and coach remained consistently high throughout her life. She gave us a refinement, elegance and depth of French song and opera interpretation that can only have enriched the vocal performance world of Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loris Synan, Lieder Society of Victoria President,
Singer & teacher

In 1975 I established The Lieder Society of Victoria and Denise became a very supportive member. A close friendship developed between us.  I discovered that Denise as a young singer, had trained with Pierre Bernac. Bernac had a long career as a singer and became the renowned teacher world authority on French Melodie (Art Song). He was partnered with the incomparable composer Francis Poulenc.

Denise studied with these two famous men, acquiring a wealth of knowledge about repertoire ranging from songs of Berlioz to Ravel and the contemporaries of Poulenc. She taught how the subtleties of the French language were correctly used in singing, in placement of the vowels (nasalized and non nasal), the involvement of the lips and tongue and the clarity of the consonants. When all this was correct then came the interpretation.

Here at last was an opportunity for Australian Singers to be coached by a world class expert. French is a language that holds many difficulties for English speaking singers  and the door was opened for Denise to coach them in Master Classes, Seminars etc., finally to working with Opera Australia and Victoria State Opera and many other professional performers. She had a standard of excellence and attention to detail that is very hard to find today.

Denise was dearly loved by those she worked with. She was a most elegant woman, refined and charming .It would often come as a surprise to the singer she was coaching and the audience when something was not correct that she would gently say "No my darling, this is not French!". Everyone would enjoy the comment, relax and the singer would obtain the correct result. She was a great communicator, indeed a person of many gifts and a generous giver of these gifts.

 

Dr Robert Mitchell, Opera Australia chorister

The unforgettable Denise Shepherd and I met in the mid- to late-1980s. I quickly perceived that Denise was the doyenne of Melbourne’s artistes of French origin. She displayed all the charm, elegance and refinement typical of her upper-class Parisian background. As an expatriate Frenchwoman she was driven to share her passion for her native language and the music it inspired. As an Australian singer whose voice suited the French Mélodie repertoire, I was immediately drawn to working with her during my annual tours to Melbourne with Opera Australia in my capacity as chorister.

Denise’s high standards were born of excellent teaching, especially in the class of Pierre Bernac the great baritone and teacher who rejected a career in opera to concentrate on mélodie – French art song – and lieder, its German equivalent. Bernac premièred around 100 of Francis Poulenc’s 135 songs over the 25 years the singer and composer/pianist undertook annual recital tours together. Shepherd was introduced into this artistically, intellectually and musically rigorous milieu as a young woman. And when she moved to Australia and married pianist Roy Shepherd, she continued to promote French language and vocal music, especially the songs of Poulenc, at the highest level. Her expectations of her students never diminished.

When I undertook a Master of Creative Arts degree at the University of Wollongong, I decided to write my dissertation on the work and influence of Bernac. With much of the research to be based on interviews with Bernac’s pupils, Denise was my first port of call. It followed that she offered me the opportunity to perform, accompanied by David Smith, two song cycles: Fauré’s ‘La bonne chanson’ and Poulenc’s ‘Chansons gaillardes’.

Working with Denise was a joy. Her attention to detail was formidable. Every intricacy of vowel shaping and consonant placement was considered. The rehearsals were exhausting but ultimately deeply rewarding. Not only did Denise consider the language, but also all aspects of the music and the historical and literary backgrounds of the texts. We subsequently worked on mélodies by other composers as well as some wonderful cabaret songs, which was a genre she also loved.

Our projects complete, Denise remained a good friend who welcomed me to her home each time I visited Melbourne. She was a generous hostess and skilled cook, bringing to her cooking and presentation all the French flair she employed in her language and music coaching.  Possessed of strong opinions. She did not suffer fools gladly.

Denise worked for many years as the Victoria State Opera’s French coach and had a great influence over innumerable singers. In the 1990s she was also brought to Sydney by Opera Australia to coach Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.

Denise Shepherd was a great lady who will live on in the memory of everyone with whom she came in contact through her passion for the French language and opera. But she will hold an even more special place in the heart of anyone with whom she shared her love of that great art-form – both robust and delicate – the French mélodie.

 

Rosamund Illing, soprano

Denise Shepherd was a very remarkable woman . Until I met and began to work with Denise I had not previously studied French Melodie. She was a national living treasure and peerless as a French language coach, charming but ruthless in her search for perfection.

She had fascinating stories to tell about her time at the Paris Conservatoire working with Bernac and Poulenc and a wealth of knowledge as a singer to pass on when working interpretively. Denise taught me  everything I know and practise when I perform French melodie and I am extremely honoured to continue her legacy when I sing and also when I pass on her wisdom to the next generation of singers.

 

David McSkimming, pianist

I first met Denise Shepherd early in 1990 as I commenced repetiteuring Carmen for the Victoria State Opera. This was my first opera for VSO and my first in French. So it was also my first experience with such a creature as a French Coach! But from day one we clicked, and we were close friends and colleagues ever since.

She was an amazing and unique person who had the ability to be tough and very particular, yet totally inspiring. And I know many, many singers and accompanists who will always thank her for her inspiration. She had a wonderful sense of humour, and, over the years, I laughed with her for many hours.

I will treasure forever in my memory, the months she spent working with Rosamund Illing, David Hobson and me to attempt perfection in the ensuing French repertoire recordings. I know she was proud of both of them. Denise Shepherd: a wonderful, loved friend and colleague.

 

Renée Cash, cabaret singer

Denise became my close friend when I studied melodie and nouvelle chanson with her.  A vastly generous person, Denise brimmed with enthusiasm, altruistically passing on her expertise in this genre - the bearing, the delivery, the style!  Denise loved to perform;  we put on the occasional cabaret show together and Denise would sing Les Feuilles Mortes, remembering her late husband Roy.  We enjoyed many superb dinners at her gorgeous apartment.  I loved hearing stories about her childhood and the famous people she knew growing up - another world, but so well told I could see it all in my mind’s eye (‘Baron D’Arignac darling was my neighbour’, ‘I knew the Tatin sisters’). I will always remember her generosity and charm.

 

Anne Frankenberg, General Manager 3MBS
Former Victoria State Opera Administrator

Denise was the French coach at the Victoria State Opera when I worked there, and later on recording projects she was involved in. She was loved and feared alike by the singers she coached. Mezzo Jacqui Dark's experience at her first Carmen coaching was typical: "Oh, darling, your French! …You sound like a peasant! But we will fix that, my darling. Don't worry; we will fix that together".

Her dress and manner were devastatingly elegant, she talked easily to all.

But the image of Denise seared upon my memory pre-dated this time. In the early nineties she performed in cabaret at Mietta's iconic restaurant.  She would have been well into her sixties, and she belted out Edith Piaf numbers in a dazzling sequinned tricolour evening frock with a young gentleman on each arm.  I remember thinking that if I could be half as vital, half as elegant and half as talented at half her age I would be doing well.

 

Ian Perry, A & Record Manager, Melba Recordings
Executive and former MSO trombonist

French music is a world of its own, a world of magic, of imagination, colour, fantasy and passion. More than any other music it captures the exquisite “perfume” of emotion and setting. French style is so elusive because there is so much more to the music than just the notes on the page. 

Denise was uniquely able to illuminate what was hidden in between the notes on the page. She demonstrated the subtlest nuance of the language by singing in her frail voice, showing just how far to push a phrase or how to give lightness and lilt to a technically difficult passage. She took joy in telling the story of the songs and giving the context.

Although unflinching in her teaching, this hard edge never came from egocentricity, but from a dedication to a great tradition that had been entrusted to her by masters of the French Melodie Pierre Bernac and Francis Poulenc.

It was always a revelation to hear Denise transform the frequently blank palette of a singer’s prepared work into a piece of art. Her magic drew singers to Denise like a magnet. She offered them the verity their hearts crave and enabled them to give their all in performances of sophisticated French style.

 

Gary May, Singing Teacher

I first met Denise Shepherd when we collaborated on the former Victoria State Opera's "Carmen" at the Rod Laver Arena in 1990, Denise being the French Coach and myself, Chorus Master for the production. For the past 24 years Denise has been a wonderful mentor and colleague as well as a very close friend. We have spent many hours together  working with my singers, Denise focussing on language, style and interpretation while I concentrated on technical issues so that the student could achieve what Denise wanted. Denise was a tough mentor but only because she wanted the student to achieve the best possible result for their present stage of development. She wished to instil in the student a determined and impeccable work ethic, an attitude Denise felt was lacking here in Australia. I will miss the wonderful meals we had together with her sitting at the head of the table looking like the Dior model that she was, feasting on great food and wine and listening to her fascinating stories of extraordinary characters that she had met on her world travels. Denise will be remembered for her great and selfless contribution to the Arts community here in Australia and I will miss her above all for the loving and valued friendship that we both shared for the last quarter of a century.