Any night of the week, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music is bursting with master musicians guiding students through their crafts. On September 14, the Conservatory had a near embarrassment of riches with a number of masters gracing the Hume Concert Hall stage. The incredible Catharine Cook, Chair of the Voice Department, began the evening with a humble and heartfelt introduction of the featured master of the night, Thomas Hampson. The talented students who came to learn from him were supported by the impeccable playing of longtime faculty member Timothy Bach.
Hampson has been a longtime friend and advocate of the Conservatory. Not only has he been a frequent master teacher, but he is a member of the advisory board, supporter of the capital campaign, which brought the school to the Civic Center, and a guest star at special celebrations. As Hampson took the stage, his love for the school and his “young colleagues” was tangible.
The guiding image of the evening was a triangle. Hampson described the three sides which create great performances. The first side is the spiritual essence of the piece, on which the audience is called to reflect. The second is the character's emotion mediated through age, language, and culture. Finally, there is the singer’s instrument itself. Throughout a performance, the balance of these three sides comes into play as a singer continually analyzes which side is getting in the way. Repeatedly during the night Hampson returned to the notion of singing for what you want to hear and making that audible.
The Conservatory students took this lesson on creating a great performance to heart. Julienne Walker was the first to experience the “air violin” as Hampson guided each student through the musicality of the pieces, showing the beauty of the legato lines as an expression of the character. “Who is this woman?” he asked Walker. Hampson led each student on journey to find, understand, and appreciate the characters they were portraying. “If you like her, and you know her then let us get to know her.” This exploration of character continued with Efrain Solis, Kelly Rubinsohn, and Jessie Neilson. Each student was carefully guided to find the character’s motivation and emotion. As Efrain discovered the expression of his character he was met with the exclamation “that’s got to be fun!”
The audience was invigorated by every interaction between teacher and student. Hampson looked on each with near fatherly affection and pure pride when a student had a revelation about an aria. He reflected on the character he’s currently portraying at the San Francisco Opera. “I love Rick deeply. There is not a thing about his life I don’t want to know.” This love of a character is not always the case it seems. “I hate Don Giovanni!”
Every student and audience member alike left the class with a better sense of emotion, direction and singing. As the master explained to each student, it is a blueprint of who we are as human beings made audible.