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A lightning rod for powerful emotions, Thomas Schippers began his escalation to fame at nineteen continuing with performances in many renowned venues in the world. Here his career is traced through the accounts of those who knew or performed with him, redressing the astonishing lack of information about him which could be of interest to music historians and performers of today.
"The brilliant young conductor, Thomas Schippers, is tall, with the face and body of a Greek god at a time when Greek gods are hard to find." (Life magazine, December 6, 1963). Admired by many for his classic handsomeness, he was highly praised for his musicianship and for the ease with which he conducted complex scores, often by memory. But following his untimely death at the age of forty-seven, he was rapidly forgotten. He was Leonard Bernstein's assistant touring Iron Curtain Russia with the New York Philharmonic. He made a large contribution to American cultural life by championing the composers Barber, Rorem, Copland, and Proto and premiered a number of their works in addition to those of Menotti.
Schippers was a brilliant conductor of the symphonic repertoire but he had a special gift for opera, with his extraordinary ear for the human voice. Justino Diaz, Jane Marsh, Roberta Peters, Leonard Warren, Martina Arroyo, Leontyne Price, Tito Del Bianco, and numerous other celebrated singers of his time all sang under his baton. He conducted Maria Callas in Cherubini's Medea which was her last performance at La Scala. The opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House in 1966 was under his direction.
About the author
The author was born in Lawrenceville New Jersey where she studied piano privately from the age of four. After moving to Miami Florida, she was educated at Florida State University where she completed a degree in piano studying with the concert pianist and composer Franciszek Zachara and later continued to Indiana University to further her harp studies with Peter Eagle. She married the pianist and musicologist Pietro Spada and moved to Rome Italy where she assisted him with his research on Muzio Clementi and several other great Classic composers, uncovering a large amount of previously unpublished material. She also worked as an independent translator. Additional articles published by her include "A Tribute to a Native Son Commemorating the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Death of Thomas Schippers" and "The Other Tommy" in the Classic Record Collector, Winter 2007 Issue.
