Thomas Hampson

Thomas Walter Hampson born June 28 1955 is an American lyric baritone a classical singer who has appeared worldwide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings Hampsons operatic repertoire spans a range of more than 80 roles including the title roles in Mozarts Don Giovanni Rossinis Guillaume Tell and Il barbiere di Siviglia Thomas Hamlet and Tchaikovskys Eugene Onegin The center of his Verdi repertoire remains Posa in Don Carlo Germont in La traviata the title roles in Macbeth and Simon Boccanegra and more recently also Amfortas in Wagners Parsifal and Scarpia in Puccinis Tosca As a recitalist Hampson has won worldwide recognition for his thoughtfully researched and creatively constructed programs that explore the rich repertoire of song in a wide range of styles languages and periods He is one of the most important interpreters of German Romantic song especially known for his interpretations of the music of Gustav Mahler and with his Song of America project collaboration with the Library of Congress has become known as the ambassador of American song