Hopkinson Smith

Who is Hopkinson Smith?

Hopkinson Smith is an American lutenist, composer and pedagogue, longtime resident in Basel, Switzerland.

Born in New York, he graduated from Harvard with Honors in Music. He moved to Europe in 1973 to study with Emilio Pujol, as well as Eugen Mueller-Dombois.

In the mid-1970s, Hopkinson Smith was involved in the founding of the ensemble Hespèrion XX, which led to his ten-year collaboration with Jordi Savall.

Since the mid 80s, Hopkinson Smith has focused principally on solo music for early plucked instruments. These include the vihuela, Renaissance lute, theorbo, Renaissance and Baroque guitars and the baroque lute.

His 2000 recording of the Bach sonatas and partitas for solo violin adapted for Baroque Lute has been called 'arguably the best you can buy of these works – on any instrument' by Gramophone magazine.

Hopkinson Smith gives concerts and master classes throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North and South America. He currently lives in Basel, Switzerland, where he teaches at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.