Eric Hearst

My name is Eric Hearst, and I sincerely appreciate classical music.  I am originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a proud graduate of the School District of Philadelphia.  I completed post-secondary studies and graduated from Howard University in Washington, DC, Argosy University, and Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ.  I am a social worker, educator, and religious professional [now] based in Hartford, Connecticut.  I am excited about joining the broadcast team for classical music at WWUH and look forward to sharing the joy of music with its listening audience.

 

Background in Classical Music and Opera

 

I studied classical violin between kindergarten and the eleventh grade. My studies were conducted in public school settings.  My first violin teacher (Suzuki Violin) was Judy Kaplow at Gompers Elementary School.  Ms. Kaplow's husband was the late Maestro Maurice Kaplow, former Pennsylvania, and New York City Ballet Orchestras conductor.  Private studies, including music theory, were held at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, PA (Germantown and Jenkintown branches). Individual, ensemble, and music theory studies were with the late Vernell Hampton (violin), Mei Mei Lou (violin), Kate Ransom (instrumental ensemble), and Jeffrey Mumford (music theory). I also participated in two joint music camps between Settlement Music School and the School District of Philadelphia, playing in the orchestra and singing in the chorus (1987/88). Music study in high school was at the Temple University Community Music Program (Esther Boyer College of Music).  I received individual lessons, played the second violin in the student orchestra, and sang in vocal ensembles and the chorus during my time in Temple’s program.

 

My introduction to vocal music and opera came from members of my family's church in Philadelphia, a family of classically trained pianists, singers, and overall musicians known as The Singing Simpsons of Philadelphia. Two members of The Singing Simpsons were professional singers with international careers – the late Joy Simpson (soprano) and her sister, Marietta Simpson (mezzo-soprano).  I had heard both in recitals and attended Joy Simpson’s debut as the lead in Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca at Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY (1986).  I met the renowned vocal coach Sylvia Olden Lee at one of Joy Simpson’s recitals when I was nine and reconnected with her a decade later.  I was closely connected to Mrs. Lee for the last ten years of her life, and I considered her a friend and mentor.  Mrs. Lee was the first African American vocal coach hired by the Metropolitan Opera in New York City (1953/1954). She helped pave the way for Marian Anderson’s, Robert McFerrin Sr.’s, and other groundbreaking debuts by artists of color with that company.

 

Favorite Composers: Gioachino Rossini, Robert Schumann, and Camille Saint-Saëns 

 

Favorite Operas: L'italiana in Algeri (Rossini), I Puritani (Vincenzo Bellini), Tannhäuser (Wagner), and Don Carlos (Verdi)

 

Favorite Symphonies: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 (Beethoven); Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 "avec orgue" (with organ) (Saint-Saëns); and Symphony No. 1 in A♭ major, Op. 55 (Edward Elgar)