Obituary: Bass-Baritone Thomas Hammons Dies at 68
By Francisco SalazarBass-Baritone Thomas Hammons has died at the age of 68. According to reports, Hammons died suddenly on Nov. 10, 2020.
Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Hammons, moved to Cincinnati as a young child and at the age of 15, his father, Bige Hammons, introduced him to singing. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with the distinguished Italian bass Italo Tajo.
Following his studies, Hammons went on to have an international career taking on 60 roles. He made his Metropolitan Opera during the 1996-97 season and performed 250 times with the company in such operas as “Tosca,” “The Merry Widow,” “War and Peace,” “Le nozze di Figaro,” “Lulu,” and “La bohème.”
Hammons was also known for his turns in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” “L’Elisir d’Amore,” “Il Tabarro,” “La Cenerentola,” “Die Fledermaus” and “Gianni Schicchi” as well as his work in musicals. He was also associated with the music of John Adams and was the first choice for the role of Henry Kissinger in the world premiere of “Nixon in China” in 1987 at Houston Grand Opera. He also interpreted the terrorist Rambo in Adams’ “Death of Klinghoffer” at its Brussels world premiere and is featured on the Nonesuch recordings of both works. He would go on to perform both works around the world including Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Toronto, Cincinnati, Vancouver, Lyon, Vienna, San Francisco, and Brooklyn.
Hammons was also a frequent guest at the Michigan Opera Theatre, New Orleans Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Cleveland, Vancouver Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opéra de Montréal, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others.
He was expected to return to the stage in 2021 for the Cincinnati Opera’s festival to perform the Sacristan in Puccini’s “Tosca.”
He is survived by his wife Veronique and twin daughters, Margot and Madeline.
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