News

Heidelberg Lied Academy

Thomas Hampson returns to Heidelberg this spring, to lead his annual series of master classes as part of Heidelberger Frühling (Heidelberg Spring Festival). Hampson’s sold-out classes take place on April 6, 7, 8 & 11, with a final concert featuring the class participants on April 12. These events are presented in collaboration with Heidelberg University, and are hosted at the Kongresshaus Stadthalle Heidelberg. Videos from past classes in Heidelberg can be found via Mr. Hampson’s artist page on medici.tv. Additional live streams will also take place this year, read on for details.

The following events will be LIVE on:
★ Hampsong Foundation’s Facebook page
★ Heidelberg Festival’s Livestream

APRIL 6
Opening Day
10am (CEST): Welcome & Master class with Thomas Hampson
2:30pm: Master class with Thomas Hampson

APRIL 7
Open Classes with Thomas Hampson
10:45am (CEST): Master class with Thomas Hampson
2:30pm: Master class with Thomas Hampson

APRIL 8
“Viva Schubert”
10am (CEST): Opening conversation dedicated to Schubert with Thomas Hampson, Hartmut Höll, Graham Johnson, Sabine Scharnagl, and Richard Stokes
10:30am: Open Class “Viva Schubert”
2:30pm: Open Class “Viva Schubert”

APRIL 9
Open Classes with Graham Johnson
10am (CEST): Introduction to French Song, and its comparison to the Lieder of Schubert, with internationally-renowned collaborative pianist Graham Johnson
10:30am: Master class with Graham Johnson
2:30pm: Master class with Graham Johnson

Festival summary:

Plato’s famous academy is the name-giver for all its emulators. His pupils were equal, regardless of origin and status. Dissenting voices were not only allowed but encouraged. For a short while, the members lived and studied as a community, taking their meals together and celebrating in each other’s company. Heidelberger Frühling’s Festival takes its cue from Plato. In the middle of the festival, chamber musicians, singers, composers and music journalists do precisely the same thing, playing, listening, debating, eating and celebrating together, amongst themselves, before and with their audiences. Singers work with chamber musicians, composers discuss their works with the performers and the first people to hear them. In exchanges with composers, young journalists learn something about creative preconditions, composers find out about the standards upheld by music critics. From this they all emerge somewhat the wiser, many of them as (new) friends.