Thomas Harper, Tenor: Opera Scenes

Thomas Harper, tenor, has performed for three decades in opera houses and concert halls in Europe and the Americas, including Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Grand Théâtre de Genève, RAI Torino, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Téatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile, and many others. He has amassed a wide and varied repertoire of over fifty roles including the “Duke” in Rigoletto, “Rodolfo” in La Bohème, “Radames” in Aida, “Canio” in I Pagliacci, “Eléazar” in La Juive, “Florestan” in Fidelio, “Erik” in Der Fliegende Holländer, “Parsifal” in Parsifal, “Alwa” in Alban Berg’s Lulu, “Gregor” in Leoš Janáček’s Makropoulos Affair and “Mime” in Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, which he also recorded on the Arte Nova label. He has won enthusiastic praise for the role of “Fritz” on the Naxos recording of Franz Schreker’s opera Der Ferne Klang and for his definitive interpretation of “Mime” in Der Ring des Nibelungen in numerous European and American opera houses. He may also be heard on the Naxos label singing Famous Tenor Arias from the Italian repertoire as well as Gustav Mahler’s Lied von der Erde with the Irish National Orchestra.
Thomas Harper is Professor of Voice and Coordinator of the Voice Department and Director of the Opera Theater at the University of Washington. In addition to voice instruction and direction of opera productions, he holds classes in German, French and Italian Diction, Vocal Pedagogy and Art-Song Repertoire.

Excerpt from an interview with the UNIVERSITY WEEK newspaper

University Week: You have performed two roles for the Seattle Opera—Mime in Der Ring des Nibelungen and the witch in Hänsel und Gretel. What are the most challenging aspects of each of these roles? Which is your favorite and why?
Thomas Harper: First of all, Mime is actually two roles—a small but intense role in Rheingold, and then an immense role in Siegfried in which Mime is really a main figure. This role requires both vocal and physical stamina simply to get through the part. The witch is, in certain aspects, similar to Mime; it is a high-profile character part that requires a lot of stamina. The role of the witch is shorter and more compact—the intensity beginning immediately and not letting up until the very end when she is shoved into the oven by the children.

University Week: Before any particular performance how much chance do you have to think about your audience? There is the couple who are out on a date; the person who owns every major recording of the opera or the role you are performing; and the high school or college class attending the opera with their professor.
Thomas Harper: The cultural capacity of any particular audience or of audiences in general is, of course, a favorite topic of performers of all kinds, opera singers included. Any kind of planning for special audiences according to age or cultural exposure should be thought out and arranged well in advance. Immediately prior to a performance, my concentration is not on the audience at all, but on my own text, through which I try to find or remember the feeling or emotion that I would like to convey to the audience.

University Week: What aspects of your career are the most physically demanding, and how do you train for them?
Thomas Harper: The most demanding aspect of a career is how to deal with stress of all kinds. It’s usually a result of learning too much new music in a short time, singing too many different roles at the same time, or travelling too often between destinations for rehearsals and performances. Learning how to really relax mentally and spiritually at opportune times as well as how to concentrate fully on the moment at hand in rehearsals and performances are the keys to overcoming stressful situations when they occur.

University Week: Is opera being enhanced or diminished by the trend toward stardom for a few and those stars performing independent of opera productions, like The Three Tenors? How is opera changing commercially and how will that impact the likely careers of your UW students?
Thomas Harper: In Europe, opera and theater in general are heading in a more commercial direction. Some state-supported theaters have closed completely, while others have dropped certain branches (ballet, for example). Other theaters have fully or partially combined with nearby theaters, pooling their resources and playing the same productions in both cities. Everywhere there is a trend to save on production costs through a variety of cooperative arrangements. However, the successful careers of the best known opera singers are, of course, not the reason for this trend. Their performances bring increased attention to opera theater, especially among persons who have perhaps not yet thought of attending an opera. Opera is enjoying an increased popularity among young adults. Realistically, regardless of the commercial or state-supported directions in opera and classical music, the world market for singers and musicians is relatively small. That which truly impacts a future career in opera is the personal conviction and determination underlying one’s own personality and talent.

Opera Scenes - Winter 2013