Baritone Thomas Hampson brings a Civil War-themed program to Carnegie Hall Feb. 9, 2015. Kristine Hoebermann hide caption

Thomas Hampson
Baritone Thomas Hampson takes his punches for opera on a BBC talk show. Dario Acosta hide caption
With the presidential election set for Tuesday, we take a look at operas that tackle today's toughest political issues. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau performing in England in 1962. Erich Auerbach/Getty Images hide caption
Baritone Thomas Hampson has spent a substantial portion of his career singing the music of Gustav Mahler. Marco Borggreve hide caption
Thomas Hampson (left) stars as Rick Rescorla in the opera Heart of A Soldier, by Christopher Theofanidis, which receives its world premiere Sept. 10 at the San Francisco Opera. Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera hide caption
Baritone Thomas Hampson has long had a love for Gustav Mahler's music. Marco Borggreve hide caption