Thomas Hampson's Online Master Classes

If you haven't checked out Thomas Hampson's Distance Learning Master Classes from the Manahattan School of Music they are worth watching. These classes are closed to the public and only be accessible online. The 2014 master class is being broadcast at 4 PM EST/1 PM PST today at http://dl.msmnyc.edu/live.

One baritone was featured last year, Kurt Kanazawa singing Bernstein's "Lonely Town" from On the Town. You can watch the entire 2013 master class here:

Reader Submission: Şzymon Komasa

Polish Barihunk Şzymon Komasa

Our latest reader submission is Şzymon Komasa, who took part in a master class at Julliard on October 4th with Joyce DiDonato. He caught the attention of our reader during the live online webstream of the master class. Renee Fleming and Eric Owens will be featured in upcoming master classes, so check the school's online schedule.

Şzymon Komasa was born in Poznań and studied at the Academy of Music in Łódź, from which he
graduated with honors in 2009 in both cello and vocal studies. Komasa comes from a very artistic family. His mother Gina was a singer, his father Wieslaw is a famous Polish actor, his brother Jan is a director, his sister Mary is a lead singer of a band and his youngest sister Sophie is a stylist. Jan Komasa directed him in Sala samobójców (Suicide Room), which was also written by his brother. 

He studied opera at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London before becoming a student of Edith Wiens at Juilliard’s Artist Diploma program in Opera Studies.. In 2011, he represented Poland in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, but fell ill and had to withdraw before the finals. 

Şzymon Komasa

He has won awards in international singing competitions, including the Best Wagner Singer at the 7th Annual Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition in Dublin in January of this year. He previously took third prize at the Ada Sari Vocal Art Competition in Nowy Sącz in Poland, first prize at the Puccini International Singing Competition in Verona and first prize at the Halina Halska-Fijałkowska Vocal Competition in Wrocław. 

Şzymon's opera performances include Slook in Rossini's La cambiale di matrimonio, Papageno in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Figaro in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, all at Teatr Wielki in Łódź, and Schaunard in Puccini's La bohème at Teatro Filharmonico in Verona. His repertoire also includes Mityukha Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov.  This summer, he sang Albert in Halevy's La Juive in Dresden.

You can watch him HERE during an appearance on a Polish morning TV show.