On January 30 and February 1, Thomas Hampson makes a highly anticipated return to the United States, joining the National Symphony Orchestra for Samuel Barber’s Vanessa. Performed in concert on the stage of The Kennedy Center, NSO Music Director and renowned conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads this haunting story of love, longing, and desire. Noseda describes Vanessa as “an extraordinary opera following the 20th-century tradition of Puccini and Strauss, uniquely and profoundly combining European and American style.”

Hampson sings The Old Doctor alongside an all-star cast of accomplished soloists. Soprano Nicole Heaston sings the title role, with mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges as Erika, tenor Matthew Polenzani as Anatol, and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham as The Old Baroness.