Music Academy of the West to Host Celebrated Baritone Thomas Hampson
For Immediate Release July 2, 2007
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Residency will include a performance at the Lobero and a vocal masterclass
Santa Barbara, CA- The renowned baritone Thomas Hampson will perform a recital at the Lobero Theatre and present a vocal masterclass at Abravanel Hall as part of a weeklong residency at the Music Academy of the West in July. Mr. Hampson will perform a sumptuous program of European lieder and American song at 7 pm Sunday, July 22. Tickets will cost $40. His vocal masterclass will take place at 3:15 pm Friday, July 20. Abravanel Hall is located on the Music Academy campus, located at 1070 Fairway Road in Santa Barbara. Tickets for the masterclass will cost $16 ($14 for students and seniors).
An Academy alumnus (1978-79) and recipient of the Music Academy Distinguished Alumni Award (1994), Mr. Hampson has been hailed the world over for his versatility and for possessing a voice of "special beauty, impossible to describe" (Opera magazine). According to The New York Times, he consistently sings with "plaintive lyricism and plush sound."
Brought up in Spokane, Washington, Mr. Hampson studied with Sister Marietta Coyle, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Martial Singher, and Horst Günther. He has sung the title roles in Rossini's Guillaume Tell, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Massenet's Werther, Busoni's Doktor Faustus, Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet, Verdi's Macbeth and Simon Boccanegra, and Mozart's Don Giovanni, as well as the world premiere of Cerha's Der Riese vom Steinfeld. He recently performed Renato in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera at London's Covent Garden.
Mr. Hampson is a passionate singer of German lieder by Franz Schubert, Gustav Mahler, and Hugo Wolf, as well as the songs of American poets and composers, including Walt Whitman and Aaron Copland. His dedication to American song has resulted in several recital tours, recordings, multimedia projects, and television programs. It also led him to found the HAMPSONG Foundation, which is devoted to the research and proliferation of song and singing. "American Song" will be the theme of his masterclass on July 20.
Mr. Hampson holds honorary doctorates from Whitworth College in Spokane and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He recently became a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Mr. Hampson is an honorary member of London's Royal Academy of Music and bears the titles of Kammersänger (distinguished court singer) of the Vienna State Opera and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the Republic of France. He was awarded the Austrian Medal of Honor in Arts and Sciences in 2004, and in 2005 received the Netherlands' Edison Award for Life Achievement.
In addition to his longtime collaboration with EMI, Mr. Hampson has recorded for numerous other major labels. Most of his recordings have received accolades, including multiple Grammy nominations, the 2002 Grammy for Best Opera Recording, Edison Prizes, and Gramophone Awards.
As part of his Music Academy residency, Mr. Hampson will serve as a juror for this year's Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition on Saturday, July 21, in Abravanel Hall. One of the most popular events of the summer season, the all-day competition is a showcase for Academy vocalists and pianists.
The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara.
The Music Academy of the West is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented 2007 season program featuring numerous classical music luminaries. The Academy will present more than 190 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which concludes on August 11. Highlights include an ambitious production of La Bohème, performances by violinist Gilles Apap and the Takács Quartet, and conducting turns by Jeffrey Tate and Alexander Lazarev.
For tickets and information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and students receive full scholarships. Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many have established themselves as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 175 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and students; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. For more information, visit <http://www.musicacademy.org/>www.musicacademy.org.
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