NY Philharmonic Announces Thomas Hampson as Leonard Bernstein Scholar-In-Residence & Educational Programs for 2009-10 Season

American baritone Thomas Hampson has been named the Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic for the 2009-10 season in conjunction with his role as The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence. Mr. Hampson will present two Insight Series events and the Annual Erich Leinsdorf Lecture in a series entitled "Listening to Thought," exploring the interplay of verbal and musical languages in vocal music.

"Thomas Hampson truly combines his artistry with probing scholarship," says Theodore Wiprud, Director of Education at the New York Philharmonic. "His intellectual curiosity informs everything he does, whether it's singing Schubert or exploring the riches and cultural connections of American song. As a performer, Mr. Hampson brings an exciting new dimension to the Scholar-in-Residence position and to the many speaking events he will lead."

The Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic program honors and recognizes the enduring contribution of Leonard Bernstein, the Orchestra's Music Director from 1958 to 1969 and subsequent Laureate Conductor. The position was created in the 2005-06 season to coincide with the 15th anniversary of Bernstein's death, on October 14, 1990. Charles Zachary Bornstein served as the first Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence, from 2005-06 through 2007-08. New York Philharmonic Program Annotator James M. Keller served in this post in the 2008-09 season.

As the first Artist-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Hampson will perform three programs with the Orchestra, appear on the Orchestra's European tour, and give a recital in Alice Tully Hall, in addition to his "Listening to Thought" lecture series. The one-year appointment is one of several initiatives launched by the Orchestra's new Music Director, Alan Gilbert, in addition to Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg; an annual three-week festival; and the creation of CONTACT, the New York Philharmonic's new-music series.

Mr. Hampson's major talks will be as follows:
• Listening to Thought: Vienna's Paradigm Shift
Monday, November 2, 2009, 6:30 p.m. Thomas Hampson, speaker and baritone
An exploration of the interplay of verbal and musical languages in vocal music, focusing on experimentation and change in Vienna between the wars.
Presented in conjunction with Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony to be performed by the Philharmonic November 5-6 and 10, 2009, with Mr. Hampson as one of the soloists. Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, Rose Building, 65th Street at Amsterdam Avenue
Tickets: $20
• Annual Erich Leinsdorf Lecture
Listening to Thought: Awakening of the American Voice
Monday, January 11, 2010, 6:30 p.m. Thomas Hampson, speaker and baritone
Walt Whitman's role in the emergence of an American identity paved the way for the democratization of expression and the rise of the individual's voice. Mr. Hampson will discuss Whitman's impact on American song, including John Adams's The Wound-Dresser, a setting of texts by Walt Whitman, which he will perform with the Philharmonic on January 14-16, 2010.
Walter Reade Theater, Broadway at 65th Street
Tickets are free and will be available at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office, beginning December 1, 2009.
• Listening to Thought: A Guide to German Romanticism
Monday, April 5, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Thomas Hampson, speaker and baritone
In this roadmap to German Lieder, Mr. Hampson unearths the richness and meaning of the iconography, metaphor, and imagery of the German Romantic tradition. Presented in conjunction with a solo recital by Mr. Hampson on April 11, 2010 at Alice Tully Hall at 5:00 p.m. Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, Rose Building, 65th Street at Amsterdam Avenue
Tickets: $20

American baritone Thomas Hampson has performed in the world's preeminent concert halls and opera houses and with many of today's most renowned musicians and orchestras; he also maintains an active interest in teaching, music research, and technology. An important interpreter of German romantic song, he is known as a leading proponent of the study of American song through his Hampsong Foundation, which he founded in 2003 to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding.

Much of Mr. Hampson's 2009-10 season is devoted to his "Song of America" project. Collaborating with the Library of Congress, Mr. Hampson is performing recitals and presenting master classes, educational activities, exhibitions, and broadcasts across the country and through a new interactive online resource, www.songofamerica.net. As part of the project, he has just released a new album, Wondrous Free - Song of America II, on his own label, Thomas Hampson Media. Other engagements include Mendelssohn's Elijah led by Kurt Masur in Leipzig; Verdi's Ernani and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin with Zurich Opera; Verdi's La traviata at The Metropolitan Opera; solo recitals throughout the United States and in many European capitals; and the galas of the Vienna Staatsoper and the new Winspear Opera House in Dallas.

Raised in Spokane, Washington, Thomas Hampson has released more than 150 albums that have received honors, including a Grammy Award, two Edison Prizes, and the Grand Prix du Disque. He has been named Kammersänger of the Vienna Staatsoper; Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France; and Special Advisor to the Study and Performance of Music in America by Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress. Other honor include the Austrian Medal of Honor in Arts and Sciences (in 2004), and the Edison Life Achievement Award (2005).

All tickets to Insights Series events may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, beginning August 25, 2008. Tickets may also be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office or the Alice Tully Hall Box Office, Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. The Box Offices opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Offices close one-half hour after concert time; other evenings they close at 6:00 p.m. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656.