Alumni Spotlight: Christopher J. Hossfeld ’02

Christopher J. Hossfeld ’02 is a composer and conductor whose music has been performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as well as at both Yale and Harvard. Having previously worked as artistic director at Opera da Camera and One Equall Musick in Montreal, Hossfeld has recently moved back to Massachusetts.

The Harvard Crimson: Can you tell us in general terms about your work in the arts and what a typical day might look like for you?

Christopher J. Hossfeld: Well, every day is different. I had a great run in Canada. Up there I was artistic director and conductor for a small opera company, which was really quite exciting. We would put on one or two productions per year—fully staged operas. So there was a lot of behind-the-scenes management for the company, which was most of the day-to-day stuff, and then right before the production, for about a month, we had rehearsals. I also had my own choir that I worked with in Montreal, and I was guest conductor for a number of ensembles, which I would go and conduct for a concert or a few rehearsals. Day to day it’s a lot of management.

THC: What are your opinions on the arts in the 21st century?

CJH: The arts in general are our social conscience, in a way. They remind us who we are and why we do what we do. They help us answer the question: What is our purpose on this planet? It’s a huge thing, and every time I try and break it down, I get a different answer because every little thing you do takes you in a different direction.

THC: What would you say to undergraduates pursuing the arts today?

CJH: One piece of advice I would give is to look at the practical side of it as well. I think the arts are so important, but the reality is that in most places today, they’re not financially supported in the way they should be. Finding funding for artistic work is going to be one of your main tasks, and that wasn’t something I realized as an undergraduate. You’re your own manager, to a certain extent. There are the lucky few artists who are part of an organization which might do these things for you, but most of us out here are doing that work ourselves.

THC: Did you know as an undergraduate that you were going to pursue music?

CJH: That was my plan. Every time I tried to go in a different direction I’d get pulled back into this path. It was less of a conscious choice as opposed to being drawn into it, and that’s the way it’s felt my whole life. The financial challenges are formidable at times, and they can be discouraging—but every time I’ve thought about doing something else, I’ve just been drawn back into it.

THC: How did attending Harvard influence you more generally?

CJH: Going through the Music Department and having such wonderful professors, in particular Robert D. Levin, really opened my eyes to different ways of looking at music, as well as how to study a composer and put together a performance. I still bring his classes with me today. Then there were the incredible resources that Harvard has—when you’re immersed in it you always take them for granted, and so it’s only when you move away that you realize, wow, that was really amazing. The performing ensembles—I sang with the Collegium Musicum, and more than anything else it taught me the business side of things and really helped prepare me for getting out into the real world.

THC: Looking forward, within the realm of your work, what are you most excited about at the moment?

CJH: I just accepted a position at a church in Hingham, Mass. I’ll be the music director, and so I’m excited about getting to know the people there! At the moment I’m mostly looking forward to getting back into the Boston music scene and finding a new direction to go in.