Full Biography
American baritone Thomas Hampson has long been recognized as one of the most innovative and multifaceted musicians of our time, receiving countless international honors for his singular artistry and cultural leadership. With more than 80 operatic roles in his repertoire, Hampson shines across a vast array of styles, languages, and periods.
From Rossini’s elegance to the dramatic depths of Verdi and the modern innovations of contemporary masterpieces, he has portrayed characters that span the full spectrum of human experience and emotion. He is well known for his superb interpretation of Mozart, including the title role in Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and most recently, Don Alfonso in Cosí fan tutte. A lauded Verdian, Hampson has excelled as Simon Boccanegra, Rodrigo in Don Carlo, Germont in La traviata, Don Carlo in Ernani, and more. He is a champion of new opera, and has starred in many world premieres, most recently Mikael Karlsson’s Fanny and Alexander, Stefan Wirth’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Rufus Wainwright’s Hadrian, Miroslav Srnka’s South Pole, and many others.
Hampson has performed on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Opernhaus Zürich, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Real de Madrid, Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Royal Opera House, Teatro Colón, and more. A celebrated “ambassador of song,” Thomas Hampson is a tireless advocate for the art of the recital, where his ability to connect with audiences through the intimacy of song has made him a beloved figure on stages worldwide. His expertly-curated programs, often performed with frequent collaborator Wolfram Rieger, have been seen at the Brucknerhaus Linz, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Schloss Elmau, Tonhalle Zurich, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie de Paris, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and the Kulturpalast Dresden.
Hampson’s programs often highlight the rich tradition of German Lieder, particularly the works of Mahler, Schubert, Brahms, and Schumann, as well as American song, a genre he has championed with unparalleled dedication. As a recording artist, Hampson’s discography includes more than 170 albums, with multiple nominations and winners of the GRAMMY Award, five Edison Awards, and the Grand Prix du Disque. He is an honorary professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Heidelberg and an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. He possesses several honorary doctorates, and holds the title of Kammersänger of the Vienna State Opera, was appointed Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic in France, and received the Hugo Wolf Medal from the International Hugo Wolf Academy, awarded jointly to Wolfram Rieger.
In 2003, Hampson founded the Hampsong Foundation, a non-profit organization which creates platforms to highlight the art of classic song. His Song of America project, created in collaboration with the Library of Congress, explores the cultural and historical narratives of American art song. He is co-founder and artistic director of the Lied Academy Heidelberg, and his international master classes are a permanent online resource of Medici.tv, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Hampsong Foundation’s livestream channel.
He is also a Distinguished Visiting Artist in Residence at mdw – Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, an Advisor for Opera for Peace, and an Honorary Artist of the Guangzhou Opera House.
