Trivia

Was honored with a private, fully staged production, with orchestra and costumes, presented exclusively for him and three of his colleagues by the Beijing Opera in an otherwise-empty theater in Shanghai.

Sang for Queen Elizabeth II.

When he was practicing a flashy piano piece in the dining room of a little inn in Maine, another guest paused in the doorway to listen. The man in the doorway was Dave Brubeck.

Seriously regrets having once declined an invitation to sing at a dinner hosted by Julia Child.

Was a principal singer in a United States Navy, National Park Service, and Opera Boston production with the U.S. Navy's historic flagship U.S.S. Constitution "Old Ironsides" at center stage for an audience of 20,000. Two years later, he appeared as Luther Billis in a production of "South Pacific" with the 375-foot World War II destroyer U.S.S. Cassin Young for an audience of 25,000.

Youngest grandson of General Elliott R. Thorpe, who was chief of counter-intelligence in the Pacific for General Douglas MacArthur and chief of civil intelligence in Japan where he oversaw the custody of Emperor Hirohito following the Japanese surrender.

Appeared in commercials that were produced for broadcast during the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the NBA Playoffs.

Attended a party in the oceanside mansion of Taylor Swift before she was born.

As a teenager, he established a long-standing speed record for swimming across the lake at his summer camp.

Played a solo piano concert in Florida on the same nine-foot grand that Victor Borge used for his live performances and TV broadcasts because Borge wasn't using the instrument that night.

Before earning his master's degree, he taught in the Connecticut public school system for one year.

Performed the baritone leads in new productions of two different operas that opened on consecutive nights.

Is comfortable performing in seven different languages.

When he was singing in Shanghai China, he and his two colleagues were honored with a surprise performance of John Phillip Sousa's "Hands Across the Sea" performed specifically for them by the National Military Band of China.

Studied voice with the same teacher as Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves and New York City Opera soprano Lisa Saffer.

Studied piano at the same school and with the same piano teachers as the celebrated virtuoso Andre Watts.

Quit his temporary job as a bank truck driver in order to play on-stage piano for a musical comedy at Trinity Square Repertory Company in which Richard Jenkins was a cast member. They worked together again more than thirty years later on the TV series Olive Kitteridge (2014), but this time with Thorpe as an actor.

His scene as the NASA Administrator in the Warner Brothers film The Box (2009), starring Cameron Diaz and Frank Langella, ended up on the cutting room floor.

Won first prize in his high school's public speaking competition for his memorized recitation of Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address. Part of the prize was the honor of reading The Gettysburg Address during the town's Memorial Day observances.

Was part of the editorial staff for a popular college text book that he later used as a student in graduate school.

Had lunch and dinner with Jehan Sadat, former First Lady of Egypt and wife of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Was asked to relinquish his hotel room in a Puerto Montt Chile in order to make it available for Patricio Aylwin, who had recently become the first democratically elected president of Chile following the brutal 17-year military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.

Former Executive Vice President of a major music publishing company established in 1921.