HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THOMAS HAMPSON

Birthday boy, Thomas Hampson

Today we're honoring one of the most heralded singers in all of opera. He also happens to be one of the most popular and enduring barihunks in the world. He has kept both his voice and his matinee idol good looks in tact at the age of 57. In fact, he's survived long enough to perform with his fellow barihunk and son-in-law Luca Pisaroni.

Hampson has performed a broad range of music, from Handel and Gluck to contemporary operas. In between, he's managed to sing all of the major leading Mozart roles, while also establishing himself as a Verdi and Wagner singer of the highest order. Last season, he created the role of Rick Rescorla in the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s Heart of a Soldier at the San Francisco Opera. He's currently performing Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler" at the Zurich Opera.

Beyond maintaining his status as one of the most sought after singers in the world, he is equally in demand as a lieder singer. His commitment to the artform prompted him to create Hampsong in 2003, which is dedicated to the worldwide understanding of the art of song. Last year he hosted and co-produced "Song of America," a 13-part radio series that explores the history of American culture through song. Below you can listen to Hampson talk about the art of song on WNYC.

We asked fellow barihunk and vlogger Jonathan Estabrooks to submit a video tribute to Hampson, since the young Canadian embodies much of what Hampson has brought to opera and lieder.

We also received a message from Krassen Karagiozov, who said:

"I wish you a continuos success on the operatic and concert stages worldwide for many  more years to come. I wish you a lot of health and a lot of happiness in your personal life.  I'm big admirer of your talent and career and I hope I have the privilege to meet you one day in person."  

Have a fantastic celebration among family and friends!  

Krassen Karagiozov

"I would like to wish you a happy birthday in Bulgarian since I'm Bulgarian: 

Chestit Rojden Den i za mnogo godini! Nazdrave!!!  

The entire Barihunks family would like to wish Thomas Hampson a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thank him for bringing us decades of great music (and looking great doing it!).

Fans in the United States can next see him as Scarpia in Tosca at the Santa Fe Opera.

Highlights from Thomas Hampson/Luca Pisaroni Concert

Luca Pisaroni (L) & Thomas Hampson (R)

We recently posted about the much anticipated concert in Heidelberg, Germany featuring Luca Pisaroni and Thomas Hampson. As regular readers will know, not only are these two men some of the most popular barihunks in the world, but they are a father-in-law/son-in-law tandem. They also happen to be two of the greatest singers in the world today.

Luca Pisaroni (L) & Thomas Hampson (R)

For those of you who missed the broadcast, here are the duets from the concerts. We've also added Luca Pisaroni singing "Sorgete... Duce di tanti eroi"  from Rossini's Mamoetto II, which he will be singing at the Santa Fe Opera this summer. A performance that is not to be missed.  You can watch the entire concert at teresa59's YouTube site.

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Il rival salvar... Suoni la tromba (I puritani)

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Restate (Don Carlo)

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Cheti, cheti immantinente (Don Pasquale)

Thomas Hampson, Luca Pisaroni - Uldino...Tardo per gl'anni (Attila)

Luca Pisaroni - Sorgete... Duce di tanti eroi (Mamoetto II)

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Live Webcast of Barihunks Luca Pisaroni & Thomas Hampson Together

On Sunday, April 29, the father-in-law/son-in-law barihunk duo of Luca Pisaroni and Thomas Hampson will appear in a Gala Concert at the Heidelberger Frühling Festival. The West German Radio Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Massimo Zanetti for an evening of arias and duets by Giuseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini and Wolfgang Mozart.  

Since not everyone can be there, we're pleased to announce that there will be a live webcast beginning at 6 PM CEST (Noon EST, 9 AM PST), which you can access HERE.

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Luca Pisaroni featured in Opera Now

Luca Pisaroni (photo by Marco Borggreve)

Luca Pisaroni is featured in the new issue of Opera Now. The magazine has recently featured barihunks Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Christopher Maltman on the cover. This month Pisaroni didn't make the cover, as that went to the equally hunky tenor Juan Diego Florez. If you're an opera fan and don't read Opera Now,  you're missing a world of great opera writing, reviews and photos. We never miss and issue and travel with the iPad version of the magazine. Barihunks readers can get a free introductory offer by clicking on the link to the right and entering the code BAR12.

Here's a teaser from the article entitled "Leader of the Pack," which refers to Pisaroni's love of dogs and being a social animal:

Luca Pisaroni is shaping up to be one of the most successful baritones of his generation. He talks to Louise Flind about his growing recognition in major opera houses around the world, and how his trusty dogs help to keep him grounded.

There may be a handful of opera singers as tall, dark and handsome as Luca Pisaroni, but few are as adorable, funny and ambitious. He and his American wife Cate (petite, blonde and foxy, if you're asking) were at Glyndebourne last summer where Pisaroni stole the show in Robert Carsen's new production of Handel's Rinaldo. 

[Read the entire article by accessing your free trial offer].

Pisaroni can next be seen on April 29th in Heidelberg, Germany where he will be performing a gala concert with his father-and-law and fellow barihunk Thomas Hampson. The two singers will perform  arias and duets by Verdi, Rossini and Mozart. In May, he performs Figaro opposite the Count of barihunk Simon Keenlyside in Munich. In June, he performs the same role opposite Gerald Finley in Vienna.

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Three Barihunks Photographed Together at Santa Fe Opera Reception in NY

The Three Barihunks? Luca Pisaroni, Mariusz Kwiecien & Thomas Hampson

If you were going to copy the famous Three Tenors format and use superstar barihunks, you couldn't do much better than Luca Pisaroni, Mariusz Kwiecien and Thomas Hampson. The three singers were recently photographed at a party for the Santa Fe Opera in New York City. All three baritones will be performing with the opera company this summer.

Is it just us, our do Pisaroni and Hampson appear to be wearing shirts with matching patterns? Perhaps the family did some shopping in Santa Fe's famous downtown. 

Pisaroni will be performing the title role in Rossini's underperformed masterpiece Maometto II, which also features soprano Leah Crocetto, a voice you won't want to miss! Pisaroni's father-in-law Thomas Hampson will be displaying his sinister side as Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca. International sensation Mariusz Kwiecien will be taking on one his favorite roles, King Roger, in the opera of the same name by fellow Pole Karol Szymanowski. The three men are some of the most popular singers on this site and we're thrilled that all be together at one of the greatest music festivals in the world. If you haven't been, book your travel plans today.

The season opens with Tosca and June 29th. Visit the Santa Fe Opera website for additional information.

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Two Barihunks Make Met Role Debuts This Week

Thomas Hampson & Nadja Michael in Chicago's Macbeth

Two barihunks are making their Met role debuts on March 15th. American Thomas Hampson will take on the title role in Verdi's Macbeth and Austrian Günther Groissböck will debut as the vengeful Banquo in the same opera. Also appearing in the revival will be the thrilling soprano Nadja Michael as the bloodthirsty Lady Macbeth.

Günther Groissböck

Macbeth will be Hampson’s fifth Verdi role at the Met, where he has also sung Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, Rodrigo in Don Carlo, the title role in Simon Boccanegra, and Don Carlo in Ernani. Next season, he will make his Met role debut as Iago in Verdi’s Otello.

Thomas Hampson sings Macbeth's "Pieta, Rispetto, Amore" from Zurich:

The March 15th opening performance of Macbeth will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 74, as will the performances on March 20, 24, and 29. The March 15 performance will also be streamed live on the Met’s website. The March 24 matinee will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. 

Günther Groissböck  sings "In diesen heil'gen Hallen" from Die Zauberflote:

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Celebrating the birthday of Gioachino Antonio Rossini with Barihunks Thomas Hampson, Nathan Gunn, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo and Randal Turner

Thomas Hampson sings "Sois immobile" from Guillaume Tell:


 Nathan Gunn & John Osborn sing "All'idea di quel metallo"

 Ildebrando D'Arcangelo sing Assur's aria "Quei Numi furenti" from Semiramide

Randal Turner performing Mosè in Egitto:

Happy Birthday, John Adams!

Composer John Adams

 John Adams is one of the best known and most often performed of America's composers. Adams was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on February 15, 1947. During his youth, growing up in Vermont and New Hampshire, he was strongly influenced by the intellectual and cultural institutions of New England. He received both his BA and MA degrees from Harvard University, where he was active as a conductor, clarinetist, and composer. His principal teachers included Leon Kirchner, David Del Tredici and Roger Sessions.

Gerald Finley sings the aria "Batter, my heart"from Doctor Atomic:

In 1971, Adams began an active career in the San Francisco area, teaching at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (1972-83) and serving as new music adviser and composer-in-residence for the San Francisco Symphony (1978-85). 

A number of his pieces have leading roles for baritones, including J. Robert Oppenheimer in Dr. Atomic, Nixon in Nixon in China and the critical roles of the captain, terrorist (Rambo) and Klinghoffer in The Death of Klinghoffer. He also wrote the Walt Whitman-inspiredpiece The Wound-Dresser, which is scored for baritone voice, 2 flutes (or 2 piccolos), 2 oboes, clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, trumpet (or piccolo tpt), timpani, synthesizer, and strings.

Thomas Hampson sings John Adams's The Wound-Dresser:

His creative output spans a wide range of media: works for orchestra, opera, video, film, and dance, as well as electronic and instrumental music. Such pieces as Harmonium, Harmonielehre, Shaker Loops, and The Chairman Dances are among the best known and most frequently performed of contemporary American music. In these works he has taken minimalism into a new and fresh terrain characterized by luminous sonorities and a powerful and dramatic approach to form. He was the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer prize.

Joseph Maddalena sings "News, news, news..." from Nixon in China:

Ad for "Nixon in China" at the Eugene Opera

Upcoming performance of operas by John Adams include Nixon in China at the Eugene Opera on March 16 and 18. The role of Nixon will be played by barihunk Lee Gregory.

From March 10-18, the opera will be performed at Lyric Opera of Kansas City with James Maddalena reprising his definitive performance as Nixon, and barihunk Daniel Belcher playing Chou En-Lai. 

Nixon travels to France in April as the Théâtre du Châtelet  produces the opera with barihunks Franco Pomponi in the title role and Kyung Chun Kim as Chou En-Lai.

Sidney Outlaw and Franco Pomponi singing John Adams

The Death of Klinghoffer opens at the English National Opera on February 25th with Alan Opie as Klinghoffer, Christopher Magiera as the Captain and rising young talent Sidney Outlaw as Rambo. If you haven't heard Outlaw perform yet, he is not to be missed.

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Teddy Bare to Make Chicago Debut: Craig Verm Heads Barihunk Casting in Windy City

Teddy Bare aka Teddy Tahu Rhodes

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has released its 2012-13 schedule and two of the sexiest men in all of opera have been cast. Teddy Tahu Rhodes will make his Lyric debut as Stanley in a semi-staged version Andre Previn's "Streetcar Named Desire." There will be four performances, which will be made available to subscribers first before being sold individually. Renee Fleming will sing the role of Blanche Dubois. There will also be a single students-only performance with an understudy cast.

Fans of Teddy Bare will have other opportunities to see him in 2012. In the United States, he will perform Guglielmo in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" at the Washington National Opera and will also return to the Metropolitan Opera. On the other side of the Equator, he will tackle his first Scarpia with the West Australian Opera and return in his signature role of Don Giovanni with both Opera Australia and Opera de Bordeaux.

Craig Verm as Aeneas

Craig Verm, who unquestionably has one of the nicest chests in opera, is one of the numerous barihunks cast next season. Verm, who has bared his torso as much as Teddy Bare, will be performing the unsexy role of Albert in Massenet's " Werther." However, with Verm playing Albert, we can certainly understand why Charlotte's mother wanted her to marry him and not the suicidal tenor.

For those who want to see Verm in some of his sexier fare, you'll have to travel to the Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. He'll be performing in both Bizet's "Carmen" and the title role in Britten's "Billy Budd."

Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (L) & Bo Skovhus (R)

Although they've cast a good number of barihunks, none of them will be in roles that show off their non-vocal assets.  For those of you who like "more mature" barihunks, Lyric is rolling out some of the hotter over-40 singers around in some Verdi and Wagner.  

Craig Verm as Zurge and Sean Panikkar as Nadir in the famous Pearl Fishers duet:

Other barihunks appearing with Lyric next year include Bo Skovhus as Beckmesser in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg," Thomas Hampson as the title character in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo in the title role of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" and Lucas Meachem as Marcello in Puccini's "La boheme." Visit the Lyric website for tickets and additional performance information.

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Franz Schubert (Died Nov 19, 1828)

Andrew Ashwin sings Franz Schubert's "Du bist die Ruh" 



Matthias Goerne sings Schubet's "Nachtstück"



Simon Keenlyside sings Schubert's "Die Sterne"



Thomas Hampson singing Schubert's Ständchen:



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Barihunk Role Announcements; Happy Birthday, Vincenzo Bellini

We've learned that Dmitri Hvorostovsky aka "The Siberian Hunky," will be singing Iago at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2015/16 season. We'll have more on this as the date approaches.

Since today is Vincenzo Bellini's birthday, here is Hvorostovsky singing a jaw-droppingly beautiful version of "Ah, per sempre io ti perdei" from "I Puritani."



The other big news regarding roles comes out of Santa Fe. Thomas Hampson and Mariusz Kwiecien will be bringing roles to the U.S. that that received critical acclaim in Europe. Hampson will be singing Scarpia in Puccini's "Tosca" and Kwiecien will be performing his sizzling hot portrayal of King Roger in Karol Szymanoski's opera of the same name. Visit the Santa Fe Opera website for additional cast and performance information.

Here is Hampson singing the Te Deum from Tosca in Zurich:



You can watch an entire performance of King Roger with "The Hot Pole" on YouTube. Here is the Part 1 of 10:



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Don't forget to order your 2012 Barihunks calendar. Click HERE to order. All proceeds go to support young artists and young artist programs. It's a great gift and an easy way to support our next generation of baritones. You can read more about our calendar at this previous post.

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Alex Lawrence and Rod Gilfry's Daughter Carin Gilfry Engaged

Alex Lawrence & Carin Gilfry

The Barihunk family tree appears to be expanding, as Alex Lawrence has announced his engagement to Carin Gilfry, daughter of barihunk Rod Gilfry. Regular readers will know that Thomas Hampson's son-in-law is fellow barihunk Luca Pisaroni. Also, barihunks Jonathan Beyer and Brandon Cedel, as well as Dan Kempson and Zach Altman are couples. We're also pleased that we have happier news to announce for Carin Gilfry, who we last reported was in a car accident with fellow performer Daniel Okulitch.

Alex Lawrence is currently in Basel, where he will appear in Dvorak's "Rusalka," Bizet's "Carmen," and Berg's "Wozzeck." Here is Lawrence singing "Fin'che han dal vino" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" in Philadelphia.



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September 5th: Celebrating the birth of four composers

Johann Christian Bach & John Cage

September 5th must be a great day to be born if you want to be a composer. On this day Giacomo Meyebeer, Johann Christian Bach, John Cage and Amy Beach were all born. You certainly couldn't find four different composers, so we're going to present a selection from each. 

Amy Beach & Giacomo Meyerbeer

The 19th century composer Giacomo Meyerbeer is best remembered for his grand operas, but wrote some beautiful choral works for male voices, two songs with solo instrumental obbligato and a number of beautiful songs. Thomas Hampson has wonderful recording of many of these and here he is singing  Meyerbeer's "Menschenfeindlich":



Johann Christian Bach was the youngest surviving son of the master Johann Sebastian Bach. Having abandoned his father's Lutheran faith for Catholicism, he is best remembered for his sacred works. Here is Victoria de los Angeles & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing "Ah, lamenta oh bella Irene" by Johann Christian Bach with Gerald Moore at the piano:



Here is John Cage's "Litany for the Whale" from 1980. This beautiful piece is scored for two male voices, and has a call and response structure to it. The two singers, recorded in a resonant chamber, are given five pitches to sing, one assigned to each letter in the word "whale." It has a calm, meditative quality that harkens back to medieval chants. The singers are Alan Bennett and Paul Elliott.



Amy Beach was the first truly successful American female composer. Among her works are a mass, piano concerto, symphony and 150 songs. We had a difficult time finding a suitable recording by a baritone singing an Amy Beach song, so we're going to break a few rules of this site and present the immortal tenor Jussi Bjoerling performing "Ah, love, But a Day" with words by Robert Browning.

For the next two weeks we will be accepting submissions for our first Barihunks charity calendar, which will benefit young artist programs. Send High Res photos and a brief bio to Barihunks@gmail.com

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Pierrot's Tanzlied "Mein sehnen, mein wähnen"

Kalmanovitch, Melrose & Hampson

One of the most beautiful arias ever written for lyric baritone is undoubtedly "Mein sehnen, mein wähnen" or Pierrot's Tanzlied for Erich Korngold's "Die Tote Stadt."
After the young, beautiful dancer Marietta has made a toast with the rest of her troupe, she asks Fritz to sing a song. He sings a yearning dance song that looks into his past.

Here are three singers at various phases of their careers singing the Tanzlied. The young Philip Kalmanovitch who is just beginning his career, Leigh Melrose who has begun singing on major stages in the last few years and the legendary Thomas Hampson.

Philip Kalmanovitch:



Leigh Melrose:



Thomas Hampson:

Also, don't forget that for the next two weeks we'll be taking submissions for our first-ever charity Barihunks calendar. Send High Res photos and bio to Barihunks@gmail.com.

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Miscellaneous News

We've fallen a little behind with our posts as our Barihunks team is enjoying opera at Glyndebourne, Santa Fe and Bayreuth. We appreciate the emails encouraging us to maintain daily posts, so here are some quick updates from the opera world. Please help us keep us to date by submitting news and photos to Barihunks@gmail.com, which continues to be our best source of barihunk activity.

Eugene Brancoveanu

Opera fans on the West Coast can see the gifted Romanian barihunk Eugene Brancoveanu in three upcoming performances. He will be at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton, California on September 11 at 3 PM. Brancoveanu’s performing selections from opera. On Sunday, November 13^th, he travels north to Brookings, Oregon to perform An Afternoon of Opera and Musical Theater with tenor Thomas Glenn and soprano Ronit Widmann-Levy joined by the gifted accompanist Peter Gruenberg.  In April 2012, he will be a soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the underrated Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra in Central California.

Christopher Theofanidis & Thomas Hampson in Vanity Fair

We've previously covered American barihunk Thomas Hampson's upcoming performances as 9/11 hero Rick Rescorla in Christopher Theofanidis’ “Heart of a Soldier,” which opens September 10 at the San Francisco Opera. We thought that readers would enjoy this article from the San Francisco Examiner. Also, make sure to check out the September 2012 issue of Vanity Fair, which features a wonderful profile on the Hampson and "Heart of the Soldier." [Page 202]

Matthias Hausmann

The Austrian Cultural Forum NYC will Present “From Austria With Love,” sung by Mathias Hausmann and accompanied by pianist Craig Rutenberg on Thursday, October 6 at 7:30 PM. The program will feature songs by Austrian composters who lived in American including Mahler, Korngold, Zeisl, Krenek, Stolz and Kalman. Admission is free but tickets must be reserved by calling 212-319-5300 ext. 222. 

Michael Leibengut

On September 16, 2001, Michael Leibengut will make his debut with the Luzerne Festival in the premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas' "Nacht," a chamber opera in 24 scenes. For additional information, visit the Luzerne Festival website. 

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Happy Birthday, Thomas Hampson!

Thomas Hampson

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Thomas Hampson in 9/11 World Premiere at San Francisco Opera - Heart of a Soldier

"Thomas Hampson": Heart of a Soldier at San Francisco Opera

In commemoration of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks that struck the United States on September 11, 2001, the San Francisco Opera has commissioned a new opera from composer Christopher Theofanidis. American baritone Thomas Hampson has been engaged to sing the role of Vietnam War veteran and 9/11 hero Rick Rescorla, an employee of Morgan Stanley who was killed in the attacks.

Bloomberg has published this article about Hampson's career and this role in particular.

The talented Kate Lindsey & Lucas Meachem in San Francisco Opera's "Don Giovanni"

We haven't really had an opportunity to tout the upcoming San Francisco Opera season, which stars many singers featured on this site. In October they will be performing "Don Giovanni" with the barihunk trio of Lucas Meachem, Marco Vinco and the astonishing young talent Ryan Kuster.  In November, they will feature Broadway superstar/opera singer Paulo Szot as Escamillo in Bizet's "Carmen." Although he's past his barihunk prime, the summer season will feature Sam Ramey in Verdi's "Attila." San Francisco Opera fans still talk about his sexy Mefistofeles in Boito's opera twenty-two years ago. The summer season will close will barihunk mega-star Nathan Gunn in one of his greatest roles, Papageno in Mozart's "The Magic Flute."

Nathan Gunn brings his famed Papageno to San Francisco Opera

The San Francisco Opera is currently featuring Wagner's "American Ring Cycle," which shouldn't be missed by any serious opera lover. The production is directed by Francesca Zambello, who is also directing "Heart of a Soldier." For more information about The Ring or San Francisco Opera's upcoming season, please visit their website.

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Andrew Garland

Andrew Garland

Andrew Garland has provided us with some of our favorite posts on this site, from his sexy shower scene to his amazing performance of Lee Hoiby's "Last Letter Home From Iraq."

He is featured on Thomas Hampson's wonderful website "Song of America," which celebrates 250 years of American song writing. The four Lori Laitman songs that he performs on the site are featured below. His lieder singing has received great critical acclaim, which is one of the reasons that we wanted to feature him again. However, he is also building a successful career on the stage performing music ranging from Monteverdi to living American composers.

He is currently performing Starveling in Benjamin Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with the Boston Lyric Opera. There is one performance remaining on May 10th. He will next be featured on May 22nd at the Dayton Opera's 50th Anniversary Gala, where has previously appeared in three different productions. Later this summer he will appear as Guglielmo in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" at Opera Saratoga. 
 

Andrew Garland Singing in the Shower

"Refrigerator, 1957":



"Men With Small Heads":



"Snake Lake":



"A Small Tin Parrot Pin":



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The Don Carlo(s) Duet

Jorma Hynninen

We're in a Verdi mode this week and in our weekly poll Rodrigo in Don Carlo jumped out to an early lead as your favorite baritone role. We decided we'd start the week with the famous duet "Dio che nell'alma infondere" where Don Carlo and Rodrigo pledge themselves to the cause of liberty and an eternal friendship.

Jonas Kaufmann & Dmitri Hvorostovsky:



Francisco Araiza & Thomas Hampson:



Jonas Kaufmann & Simon Keenlyside



Franco Corelli & Robert Merrill:



Stuart Neill & Dalibor Jenis



Neil Rosenshein & Jorma Hynninen



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Pisaroni's Change of Character in Houston

Luca Pisaroni joins Adriana Kucerove (L) & Ellie Dehn (R) for a curtain call at HGO

In an age when most opera companies are cutting back performances, it was refreshing to see that the Houston Grand Opera had to add a performance of the Marriage of Figaro. Of course, this was the debut of barihunk Luca Pisaroni in the role of Count Almaviva, so we can understand the buzz. Pisaroni has made the other baritone role in the opera, that of Figaro, virtually a calling card role. He's sung it all over the world, including recent perfromances in Vienna, San Francisco, Paris, New York, Amsterdam, Salzburg and Madrid. He turned over the role to the talented Patrick Carfizzi for the run in Houston.

Performances run through April 30 and you can click HERE for additional cast and performance information. 

Here is Pisaroni singing Figaro's aria "Aprite un po quegli occhi" in Amsterdam.



We couldn't find a video of Pisaroni singing the Count's aria "Hai gia vinta la causa," but here is his father-in-law Thomas Hampson performing the aria in Salzburg. How would you like to be sitting around the piano at one of their family get togethers?



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