Thomas Bernard HeppnerCC (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. He was widely regarded as the foremost Wagner tenor of his era.[1][2][3][4]
Following secondary school in Dawson Creek, Heppner pursued further studies at the Canadian Bible College in Regina, Saskatchewan (1973–74).[6][7] In later years he would sing solo for the Billy Graham Crusades in Toronto and Ottawa.[8]
He pursued musical studies at the University of British Columbia from 1975 to 1979, studying with voice teacher French Tickner. He first attracted national attention when he won the CBC Talent Festival in 1979, singing Mozart's "Il mio tesoro" from Don Giovanni.[5] He later studied opera at University of Toronto.
In 1987, under the tutelage of voice teachers William Neill and Dixie Ross Neill, Heppner made a successful transition to the spinto voice category, specializing in the Germanic repertoire.[5] Heppner won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 1988 which launched his career.[5] He also won the Birgit Nilsson Prize in 1988.[3]
International career
He was associated with the Wagnerian repertoire, but he performed a range of operas from the German, French and Italian canons. Heppner performed frequently with opera companies in the United States (including the New York Metropolitan Opera) and Europe, and concert appearances with symphony orchestras. Heppner was widely regarded as the foremost Wagner tenor of his era.[1][2][3][4]
He has appeared in the DVD recordings of the Metropolitan Opera productions of Beethoven's Fidelio,[18] Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,[19] and Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, three of his signature roles.
Also with Sir Colin Davis, Heppner recorded the role of Aeneas in Berlioz' Les Troyens.[22]
Heppner has recorded on multiple labels, participating in complete operas and solo albums of arias and songs. He was signed to an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG). His first solo recording for DG, made in 2001, was Airs Français accompanied by Myung-whun Chung conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.[23] It won a Juno Award.
Heppner was awarded the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards in 1995.[29] He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999, was promoted to Officer in 2002 and Companion in 2008. He performed at closing ceremonies of two Winter Olympic Games. In Turin in 2006, he sang the Canadian national anthem. Four years later, in Vancouver, he sang the Olympic Hymn. Both times, he mixed English and French. In June 2016, Heppner was made a laureate of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Classical Music.[30]
Retirement
Heppner announced his retirement from singing in April 2014.[31] Heppner felt unable to be a "part-time singer", feeling that "No matter how often you sing, if you're going to sing at a good level, a quality level, you've got to keep it up all the time. And I was finding that to be a little bit difficult. So that, plus the fact that I've been experiencing a little bit of unreliability in my voice–and that causes some anxieties–I decided it was time".[31]
The Ben Heppner Vocal Music Academy at Heather Heights Junior Public School
Heppner plans to continue hosting master classes and coaching singers for roles, and appearing on voice competition juries.[31] The Ben Heppner Vocal Music Academy, a public school in Scarborough, named after Heppner, opened in 2012.[34]
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