A répétiteur (; from the French language verb répéter meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearsal')[ is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is répétiteuse.
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Opera
In opera, a répétiteur is the person responsible for coaching singers and playing the piano for music and production rehearsals.[ Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, accessed 27 July 2010 ] When coaching solo singers or choir members, the répétiteur will take on a number of the roles of a vocal coach: advising singers on how to improve their pitch and pronunciation, and correcting note or phrasing errors.
Répétiteurs are skilled musicians who have strong sight-reading and score reading skills. In addition to being able to sight read piano parts, some répétiteurs can play on the piano an orchestral score reducing it in real-time (orchestral reduction), by reading from a large open score of all of the instruments and voice parts. Répétiteurs are also skilled in following the directions of a conductor, in terms of changing the tempo, pausing, or adding other nuances.
Ballet
In ballet, a répétiteur teaches the steps and interpretation of the roles to some or all of the company performing a dance.
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