Thomas Schippers

August, 1965

Unlike most child prodigies in the performing arts, whose careers are usually characterized by too much notoriety too soon and early relegation to artistic oblivion, Thomas Schippers, the 35-year-old boss baton of the Metropolitan Opera and current musical toast of two continents, has yet to miss a beat in his rise to the apogee of international acclaim since his debut as a concert pianist at the age of six. Schippers, an athletically built six-footer who could double for Maximilian Schell, took...