Walter Thomas Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has performed in major opera houses and concert halls around the world. He has made over 170 musical recordings.

Hampson has performed in more than 80 different operatic roles, including the main characters in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rossini's Guillaume Tell and Il barbiere di Siviglia, Thomas' Hamlet, and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. His performances in operas by Giuseppe Verdi include the roles of Posa in Don Carlo, Germont in La traviata, and the main characters in Macbeth and Simon Boccanegra. More recently, he has also performed the roles of Amfortas in Wagner's Parsifal and Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca.

As a recitalist, Hampson is known for his carefully planned and imaginative programs that explore a wide variety of songs from different musical styles, languages, and time periods. He is especially recognized for his performances of the music of Gustav Mahler. Through his "Song of America" project with the Library of Congress, he has been called the "ambassador" of American song. He was also named a "living Legend" by James Billington, the Librarian of Congress.

Hampson has received many awards for his recordings, including an Edison Award for Lifetime Achievement, four Edison Awards, four Echo prizes, and several Gramophone Awards, VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Awards, and Grand Prix du Disque Awards. He has also received six Grammy Award nominations and one Grammy Award. An Austrian music company, Vienna Acoustics, named one of its speakers "The Hampson Edition" in his honor.

Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, his former teacher, once said, "[Thomas Hampson is] the best singer in Europe right now."

Early life and education

Hampson was born in Elkhart, Indiana, and has two older sisters with whom he sang in church as a child. He grew up in Spokane, Washington, and attended Eastern Washington State College (now Eastern Washington University) in Cheney, where he studied political science and government. At the same time, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Voice Performance at Fort Wright College, where he studied under Sister Marietta Coyle. During the summers of 1978 and 1979, he studied with Gwendolyn Koldowsky and Martial Singher at the Music Academy of the West, where he received the Lotte Lehmann Award. He later continued his education at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where he worked with vocal coach Jack Metz and baritone Horst Günter, who became a long-term teacher and mentor. In 1980, after winning a competition for the San Francisco Opera, he joined the Merola Opera Program, where he met Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. In 1981, he was one of the winners in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions national finals.

Early career

In the early 1980s, an audition tour in Europe gave him a contract with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf. During this time, he also had the chance to study with Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, a teacher he had met earlier at the Merola program. From 1981 to 1984, he was part of the Düsseldorf ensemble, where he gained experience by performing smaller roles and also took on larger parts in Düsseldorf and other locations. He sang the main role in Henze’s Der Prinz von Homburg in Darmstadt and performed Guglielmo in a production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, which earned him attention in the United States.

In 1984, he joined the Opernhaus Zürich as a principal lyric baritone. He participated in a famous Harnoncourt-Ponnelle production of Mozart’s operas, including all of the Da Ponte operas and the title role in the 1987 production of Don Giovanni. He also performed with opera companies in Hamburg, Cologne, and Vienna. That same year, he gave his first recital in London at Wigmore Hall.

His first U.S. recital took place on April 14, 1986, at The Town Hall in New York. The New York Times praised him for his appearance, stage presence, and theatrical energy even during a recital. Shortly after, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera on October 9, 1986, as the Count in Le nozze di Figaro. In 1986, he was invited to audition for Leonard Bernstein, which led to his participation in a 1987 performance of Puccini’s La bohème in Rome, conducted by Bernstein. Later, he performed with the Vienna Philharmonic in famous works by Gustav Mahler, including Kindertotenlieder (1988), Rückert-Lieder (1990), and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (1990). From this point, he was recognized as one of the leading lyric baritones of the late 20th century.

1990s

In the following years, Hampson performed at many important concert venues around the world, such as Avery Fisher Hall, Barbican Centre, Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw, Royal Albert Hall, and Théâtre du Châtelet. He also performed at opera houses like Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, and Vienna State Opera. Additionally, he performed at festivals such as Mostly Mozart Festival, Maggio Musicale, and the Salzburg Festival. During these years, Hampson performed with famous pianists, including John Browning, Geoffrey Parsons, Wolfram Rieger, Craig Rutenberg, and Wolfgang Sawallisch. He also performed with orchestras such as Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Spokane Symphony, Staatskapelle Berlin, and UBS Verbier Orchestra. He worked with conductors like Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniele Gatti, Vladimir Jurowski, James Levine, Fabio Luisi, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, Antonio Pappano, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Franz Welser-Möst.

In 1990, Hampson released his first solo recital album on Teldec titled Des Knaben Wunderhorn, recorded with Geoffrey Parsons. The piano used for the recording had belonged to Gustav Mahler. The New York Times praised the recording, saying that "the performances have a luminous beauty and cast a storyteller's spell." In February and March of the same year, Hampson continued his partnership with Bernstein, performing Mahler's Rückert-Lieder and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, and later performed Mahler's two cycles with the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall (Bernstein's last public performances there). In November, Hampson made his San Francisco Opera debut, performing the title role in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and making his debut as Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera.

In 1991, Hampson opened the New York Philharmonic season in a Live from Lincoln Center telecast, singing Aaron Copland's Old American Songs conducted by Kurt Masur. He also performed at the 25th Anniversary Gala of the Metropolitan Opera, which was recorded for video and CD. That same year, he released a Cole Porter tribute album on EMI/Angel.

In 1992, Hampson was named Musical America's Singer of the Year, alongside John Corigliano, Robert Shaw, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Yo-Yo Ma. That year included notable performances, such as the Rossini 200th birthday gala at Avery Fisher Hall, the title role in Britten's Billy Budd at the Met, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro at Florence's Maggio Musicale conducted by Zubin Mehta, Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem with Daniel Barenboim at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and two performances of Schumann's Dichterliebe: one in Geneva and the other in his first recital at Carnegie Hall.

In 1993, Hampson performed his first rendition of the title character in Thomas' Hamlet in Monte Carlo, a performance later recorded for EMI/Angel. That year, he added to his repertoire with performances including Il barbiere di Siviglia at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the Met, his debut as Posa in Verdi's Don Carlo in Zürich, the title role in Henze's Der Prinz von Homburg, and Chorebe in Les Troyens by Berlioz at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1993, Hampson began working with institutions in the classical music world, giving master classes at the Tanglewood Festival in Lenox, Massachusetts. He also received an honorary doctorate of music from Whitworth College in his hometown of Spokane, Washington. That year, he contributed to the publication of a new critical edition of Mahler songs and released a recording with Geoffrey Parsons.

In January 1994, Hampson made his debut with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, singing Mahler and Copland, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. Later that month, he was named Male Singer of the Year by the International Classical Music Awards. He then embarked on a five-month tour, performing recitals in cities such as Reutlingen, State College, Washington, D.C., Iowa City, Fort Worth, Quebec, and Buffalo, New York. In July, he opened the Mostly Mozart Festival in a Live from Lincoln Center telecast, and in August, he performed at the Salzburg Festival with a solo recital of Barber and Mahler. In September, he sang the leading role in the world premiere of the opera The Dangerous Liaisons by Conrad Susa and Philip Littell. In October, he recorded 20 Lieder und Gesänge based on his and Dr. Renate Hilmar-Voit's research.

In 1995, Hampson received two awards for his contributions to classical music: the Cannes Classical Music Award for Singer of the Year in 1994 and the Echo Music Prize for Best Male Singer. That year, he performed in significant productions, including Das Lied von der Erde at Carnegie Hall under James Levine, a Live from Lincoln Center telecast with Kathleen Battle, a performance of Britten's War Requiem in Rome conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, a recital of all of Gustav Mahler's songs (Hampson's new critical edition) for the Mahler Festival at Concertgebouw, and a performance with Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music.

In 1996, Hampson began exploring American Song, starting with a January performance at a WNET Gala benefit and later participating in the I Hear America Singing: Great Performances project in May. In February 1996, President Bill Clinton invited Hampson to sing at the White House during a state dinner honoring French President Jacques Chirac. That year, he was inducted as an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. Other appearances included master classes at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg and two productions of Don Carlos in the original French, directed by Luc Bondy, in Paris and London.

In April 1997, Hampson performed as Eugene Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera at the Vienna State Opera. In May, he reunited with Harnoncourt for a rare production of Schubert's Alfonso und Estrella at Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Hampson also solidified his role as an American musical figure by serving as Artistic Director, Creative Consultant, and Performer on the PBS production *Thomas Hampson: I Hear America

2000s

In early 2000, Hampson focused on the music of Gustav Mahler, performing a concert centered on Mahler’s works at Carnegie Hall in February. He also performed again in the opera Doktor Faust at the Metropolitan Opera. That year, he was part of the Artistic Committee for the Kennedy Center Honors and sang at the Centennial Celebration for Elinor Remick Warren at the Washington National Cathedral. He also performed with Renée Fleming and released a recording of Thaïs by Massenet later in the year.

In February 2001, Hampson sang the role of Amfortas in Wagner’s Parsifal at the Paris Opera and the Royal Opera House in London. He then went on a four-month recital tour across Europe and the United States, performing with Vladimir Jurowski and Franz Welser-Möst.

In 2002, Hampson made several role debuts, including performing as Mandryka in Arabella by Richard Strauss at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris with Karita Mattila. He also sang the title role in the world premiere of Friedrich Cerha’s Der Riese vom Steinfeld in June. Later that year, he performed as the title character in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at the Vienna State Opera and in the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Sechs Gedichte von Friedrich Nietzsche in Cologne. In December, he made his first stage appearance as Athanael in Thaïs at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

In 2003, Hampson performed in a concert dedicated to the works of composer Hugo Wolf, first at Carnegie Hall in February with pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim and later at the Salzburg Festival in a project titled The Hugo Wolf Project. That year, he also performed again in Tannhäuser and Don Giovanni, and sang an arrangement of the poem Dover Beach with the Emerson String Quartet. Later, he performed with the Vienna Philharmonic in a concert of Friedrich Cerha’s Baal-Gesänge under Zubin Mehta.

In 2004, Hampson returned to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the title role in Don Giovanni, directed by Marthe Keller. He performed this role again during a tour by the Vienna State Opera in Japan under Seiji Ozawa. He also performed in Tannhäuser again, directed by Otto Schenk and conducted by Mark Elder. That year, he began working with the Library of Congress, leading to the creation of the Hampsong Foundation.

In 2005, Hampson performed in Un ballo in maschera and as Germont in La traviata at the Salzburg Festival. He also launched his website, www.thomashampson.com. His work with the Library of Congress led to a 12-city concert tour that continued through summer 2006.

In 2006, a collaboration between the Heidelberger Frühling Festival and the Hampsong Foundation celebrated the 200th anniversary of the printing of Des Knaben Wunderhorn through concerts, discussions, and classes. That year also marked the 50th anniversary of the Vienna State Opera’s reopening, and Hampson sang at a gala event there. He also performed at the Salzburg Festival to honor Mozart’s 250th birthday. His performances included the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth, the title role in Doktor Faust again, and Mandryka in a new production of Arabella.

In 2007, Hampson returned to Simon Boccanegra at the Met. In May, he performed with the San Francisco Symphony at Carnegie Hall, receiving praise for his performance.

In 2008, Hampson appeared as Carlo in a revival of Verdi’s Ernani at the Metropolitan Opera. He also performed again as Athanael in Thaïs, once more with Renée Fleming, and sang at the opening nights of both the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall. Both events were broadcast worldwide. In June, Hampson created his own record label, Thomas Hampson Media (THM), and released six albums through iTunes.

In 2009, Hampson performed the final scene of Wagner’s Parsifal with tenor Plácido Domingo as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s 125th Anniversary celebration. In February, he performed in the world premiere of Michael Daugherty’s Letters From Lincoln with the Spokane Symphony and sang the title role in Eugene Onegin at the Met. In March, he made his debut as Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca at the Zürich Opera. In May, he gave a recital at the Supreme Court of the United States. In September, Hampson became the New York Philharmonic’s first Artist-in-Residence. In November, he launched www.songofamerica.net, a database about American song, and began his “Song of America” tour, holding 13 recitals between July 2009 and February 2010.

2010s

In addition to his performance schedule, much of Hampson's recent career has focused on music scholarship and education. In March 2010, he led the first-ever live streaming of classical music on a mobile app: a master class on Mahler songs, hosted by the Manhattan School of Music's Distance Learning Program. That year, he performed in the composer John Adams's 19-minute musical monologue, The Wound-Dresser. He also appeared in a production of La traviata that had problems, under the direction of Leonard Slatkin, who later left the production.

In 2010, Hampson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2011, Hampson sang the role of Rick Rescorla in the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis's Heart of a Soldier with the San Francisco Opera, based on a true story from 9/11. He continued his work in the Mahler community, performing in over 50 concerts of Mahler's music in 2011 to honor the 100th anniversary of Mahler's death. That year also marked the debut of the Song of America radio series, co-produced by the Hampsong Foundation and the WFMT Radio Network of Chicago. Hosted by Hampson, the series includes 13 hour-long programs that explore the history of American culture through song; it has aired in more than 200 U.S. markets.

In 2012, Hampson made his first performances as Iago in Verdi's Otello and the title role in Hindemith's Mathis der Maler, both at the Zurich Opera. He also made his first performance at the Metropolitan Opera as Verdi's Macbeth. Other highlights of that season included concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach, the Munich Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck, and the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta. He was featured in CNN's "Fusion Journeys" series, which filmed him in South Africa during a musical exchange with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. In 2013, he recorded Verdi's Simon Boccanegra for Decca Classics, with co-stars Kristine Opolais and Joseph Calleja. That same year, he was inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame.

In 2015, Hampson received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory. That same year, he performed the first performance of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon at Carnegie Hall. In 2016, Hampson added another role to his operatic repertoire with the world premiere of Miroslav Srnka's South Pole at the Bavarian State Opera. He starred as Roald Amundsen, opposite tenor Rolando Villazón as Robert Falcon Scott, in the real-life story of the Antarctic explorers' race to reach the South Pole. In 2017, he was awarded the Hugo-Wolf-Medaille alongside Wolfram Rieger for their outstanding achievements in the art of song interpretation.

Personal life

Hampson is married to Andrea Herberstein, and they have three stepchildren together. He has one daughter, Meghan, from his first marriage, which ended in divorce in 1986. His oldest stepdaughter, Catherine, married singer Luca Pisaroni, who was introduced to her by her father. This marriage ended in divorce in 2023. After moving to Vienna permanently, Hampson later began spending time in both New York City and Zürich.

Teaching and scholarship

In addition to his performances, a large part of Hampson's recent career has focused on music research and teaching. In 2007, he was appointed to the board of the Manhattan School of Music. He also serves on the Artistic Advisory Board, roles that let him teach master classes for the school's Distance Learning Program. These classes are broadcast live to people around the world who watch on the Internet or use smartphones.

In March 2011, Hampson continued his work with songs by starting the first Lied Academy as part of the Heidelberger Frühling Festival. He leads the Academy, and it brings together famous artists like Graham Johnson, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Each year, the Academy turns the German city into a global center for Lied music.

Repertory

• John Adams, The Wound-Dresser
• Johannes Brahms, Ein Deutsches Requiem
• Benjamin Britten, War Requiem
• Aaron Copland, Old American Songs
• Michael Daugherty, Letters From Lincoln (World premiere)
• Gustav Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Kindertotenlieder, and Rückert-Lieder

Asterisk (*) means the work is having its first performance ever (world premiere).

Recordings

• Mozart: Così fan tutte, conducted by James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera (1990)
• Porter: Kiss Me, Kate, conducted by John McGlinn, EMI Digital, B000008HD3 (1990)
• Berlin: Annie Get Your Gun, conducted by John McGlinn, with Kim Criswell, Rebecca Luker, David Garrison, Jason Graae, EMI Classics, B000002RS4 (1991)
• An Old Song Re-Sung, EMI Digital, B000002RRM (1991)
• Griffes, Ives, MacDowell: Lieder, with pianist Armen Guzelimian, Warner Music Spain, B000009J2V (1991)
• Delius: Sea Drift, Florida Suite, Argo, B00000E4KQ (1991)
• Porter: Night and Day, Warner Classics (1991)
• Bernstein: Arias and Barcarolles, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, Deutsche Grammophon (1993)
• Bernstein: On the Town, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, Deutsche Grammophon (1993)
• Rossini: The Rossini Bicentennial Birthday Gala, conducted by Roger Norrington, EMI (1994)
• Verdi: Simon Boccanegra, Decca (2013)
• Britten: War Requiem, Warner Classics (2013)
• Richard Strauss: Notturno, Deutsche Grammophon, 00028947929437 (2014)
• Autograph: Thomas Hampson, Warner Classics (2015)
• Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Deutsche Grammophon, 00028947959458 (2016)
• Richard Danielpour: Songs of Solitude & War Songs, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, Naxos, 8.559792 (2016)
• Christmas Surprises, Sony Music (2017)
• Tides of Life, Channel Classics, 0723385389170 (2017)
• Serenade, Thomas Hampson, Maciej Pikulski (piano); Pentatone PTC 5186681 (2017)
• Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, Decca, 4831585 (2017)
• Songs from Chicago, Thomas Hampson, Kuang-Hao Huang (piano); Cedille CDR 90000 180 (2018)
• The Phoenix, Tarik O’Regan, John Caird, Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni; Pentatone PTC 5186857 (2019)
• Hope, Daniel Hope, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Thomas Hampson, vocal ensemble Amarcord, Colin Rich, Deutsche Grammophon UPC 00028948605415 (2021)

• Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (1988) with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein – Unitel Classica
• The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4582
• James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala (1996), Deutsche Grammophon DVD, B0004602-09
• Verdi: Don Carlos (1997), Kultur Video, B00008DDRK
• Verdi: Macbeth (2001), Image Entertainment, B00006LPDZ
• Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn (2002) – Voices of our time, Alliance, B0002J9TX8
• Wonderful Town (2005) – EuroArts, B0009SQC2S
• La Traviata (2006) – Arthaus, B000CCU8SK
• Wagner: Parsifal (2006) – Opus Arte, OA0915D