Stevens was engaged as a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble at the
Teatro Colón in 1938 (as Octavian in
Der Rosenkavalier) and was invited to the
Glyndebourne Festival in 1939 where she was heard as
Dorabella and
Cherubino. In 1938 she made her début with the
Metropolitan Opera on tour in Philadelphia as Octavian opposite Lotte Lehmann as the Marschallin. Three weeks later at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York City, she sang Mignon in a Saturday matinee broadcast in a cast that included Richard Crooks as
Wilhelm Meister and Ezio Pinza as Lothario. During the 1940s, Stevens appeared in a few Hollywood films, including
The Chocolate Soldier (1941) with
Nelson Eddy. She played an opera singer in
Going My Way (1944) with
Bing Crosby, wherein she is credited as a
contralto; she is featured performing the "
Habanera " from
Bizet's opera
Carmen, "Going My Way" with the
Robert Mitchell Boys Choir, and the
Schubert "
Ave Maria" with Bing Crosby and the choir. Stevens disliked the process of making films and found the Hollywood scene in general even more disagreeable. She returned exclusively to opera. , 1952–1953 Stevens' other operatic roles included Fricka in
Wagner's
The Ring of the Nibelung, Marfa in
Mussorgsky's
Khovanshchina, Giulietta in
The Tales of Hoffmann, and Prince Orlovsky in
Die Fledermaus. '', March 1948 Stevens' acclaimed
RCA Victor recording of the complete opera
Carmen, conducted by
Fritz Reiner and co-starring
Jan Peerce,
Robert Merrill and
Licia Albanese remains a best-seller and has been continuously available since its original 1951 release. She also appeared in
Paris,
London, and the
London Palladium. Stevens' farewell performance at the Metropolitan Opera was as Carmen in 1961. Stevens sang the starring role of Liza Elliott on the original 1963 studio cast recording of
Lady in the Dark (Columbia OL-5990/OS-2390),. That album was digitally remastered for CD in 1997, as part of the Masterworks Heritage Vocal Series (Sony MHK 62869). In 1963, Stevens and
Michael Manuel were appointed co-directors of the
Metropolitan Opera National Company (MONC), a second touring company of the Metropolitan Opera that featured American and Canadian artists in their early stages of career development, by Sir
Rudolf Bing. She remained director until the company dissolved in 1968, during which time she mentored several prominent singers with the MONC, including sopranos
Clarice Carson,
Maralin Niska,
Mary Beth Peil,
Francesca Roberto, and
Marilyn Zschau; mezzo-sopranos
Joy Davidson, Sylvia Friederich, Dorothy Krebill, and
Huguette Tourangeau; tenors
Enrico Di Giuseppe, Chris Lachona, Nicholas di Virgilio, and
Harry Theyard; baritones
Ron Bottcher,
John Fiorito,
Thomas Jamerson,
Julian Patrick, and Vern Shinall; bass-baritones
Andrij Dobriansky, Ronald Hedlund, and
Arnold Voketaitis; and bass
Paul Plishka. Established in 1964, this award sought
"to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression". She was a
Kennedy Center Honoree in 1990. Stevens has been the subject of two biographies, Kyle Crichton's
Subway to the Met (1959) and John Pennino's
Risë Stevens: A Life in Music (1999). ==Personal life==