One of the great things about teaching at Northeastern is the proximity to Boston’s cultural scene. The Museum of Fine Arts is just across the from the Law School; Symphony Hall is just down the street; and conservatories are all around.

This afternoon I was tipped off to a masterclass with heldentenor Ben Heppner at New England Conservatory, so along with no more than 100 others, I got to hear him coaching four young singers and annotating with a bit of singing of his own. The students were superb, and yet Heppner was able to inspire each of them to sing better. I could hear the effect of the changes he suggested, and of course the thrill of getting personalized advice from a reigning master must have helped.

Amid lots of great signing, though, the best moment was discovering Heppner’s geek cred. When prompting a singer to keep the energy up through a sustained note, he suggested “think of renewing a lease,” as in DHCP lease, “for the techies out there.”

Now to see if I can scavenge a ticket to hear his Mahler Monday night…