Michael Thompson (horn player)

Last updated

Michael Thompson
Born (1954-01-04) January 4, 1954 (age 69)
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)French horn
Formerly of BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Michael Thompson (born 4 January 1954) is a British horn player. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, Thompson was appointed Principal Horn with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra aged just 18 years. By the age of 21 he was offered positions as Principal Horn with both the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, accepting the Philharmonia position, a post he held for ten years before leaving to fulfil increasing solo and chamber music commitments. [1]

Thompson is a member of the London Sinfonietta, with whom he has given premiere performances of works including Ligeti's Hamburg Concerto. He has recorded solo, chamber, and orchestral works composed by Britten, Haydn, Messiaen, Strauss, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schumann, and Tippett, among others. He has played on movie soundtracks including Drowning by Numbers as a member of the Michael Nyman Band, The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films. His work with Sir Paul McCartney led McCartney to compose Stately Horn, which the Michael Thompson Horn Quartet premiered.

Thompson is an advocate of youth music-making and holds the post of Rehearsal Conductor for the Ulster Youth Orchestra.

Thompson has toured extensively and since 2003 he has been Principal Conductor of the City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra.

Thompson is a Fellow and Aubrey Brain Professor of Horn at the Royal Academy of Music.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neville Marriner</span> English conductor and violinist

Sir Neville Marriner, was an English violinist and "one of the world's greatest conductors". Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ranks Marriner #14 of the 18 "Greatest and Most Famous Conductors of All Time". He founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and his partnership with them is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esa-Pekka Salonen</span> Finnish orchestral conductor and composer

Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Bousfield</span> English trombonist

Ian Bousfield is an English musician who has held positions as Principal Trombone with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Hallé Orchestra. Also a pedagogue, Bousfield is an instructor in the music division at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern, Switzerland.

Gordon Hunt is a British musician and conductor. Regarded as one of the world's leading oboists, Hunt has served as principal oboe of the Philharmonia and London Chamber orchestras, a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

James Nicholas McGegan OBE is a British harpsichordist, flutist, conductor and early music expert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Kell</span> English clarinettist

Reginald Clifford Kell was an English clarinettist. He was noted especially for his career as a soloist and chamber music player. He was the principal clarinettist in leading British orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, and Royal Philharmonic, and was also active as a solo recording artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Loughran</span>

James Loughran CBE, DMus., FRNCM, FRSAMD is a conductor.

Árpád Joó was a Hungarian American conductor and concert pianist.

Howard Gordon Shelley is a British pianist and conductor. He was educated at Highgate School and the Royal College of Music. He was married to fellow pianist Hilary Macnamara till her death in 2021, with whom he performed and recorded in a two-piano partnership, and they have two sons.

Richard Watkins is a horn player. He performs as a concerto soloist and chamber music player. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1985 to 1996, a position he relinquished to devote more time to his solo career.

Andrew Shulman is an English virtuoso cellist, conductor and composer. He is currently the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and maintains his cello studio at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bassano</span> English conductor

Peter Bassano is an English conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald Drucker</span> Musical artist

Gerald Drucker was a British classical double bass player, photographer and double bass teacher. Principal Double Bass at the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, and finally the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. He formed the London Double Bass Ensemble in the 1980s.

David Haslam is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the English Philharmonic Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Parry (musician)</span> British musician, composer, conductor, singer, arranger and producer

Ben Parry is a British musician, composer, conductor, singer, arranger and producer in both classical and light music fields. He is the Director of London Voices and was formally Artistic Director of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain.

Kenneth Young is a composer, conductor, radio presenter and lecturer in composition, conducting and orchestration at the New Zealand School of Music, Massey University and Victoria University of Wellington. As a composer, Young has had works commissioned by New Zealand and Australian orchestras and arts organisations including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra New Zealand International Arts Festival and Chamber Music New Zealand. He works as a freelance composer and is fully represented by SOUNZ: The Centre for New Zealand Music. In 1976, Young became the principal tuba for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and first conducted the orchestra in 1985 becoming Conductor in Residence in 1993. In 2001, he resigned from the orchestra to become a full-time conductor, composer and recording artist for orchestras in New Zealand and Australia, as well as engagements in Japan and the United Kingdom. He is well known for his interpretation of Romantic, 20th Century, New Zealand and Australian orchestral repertoire and in 2012 conducted both the winning album, Angel at Ahipara and finalist album, Releasing the Angel, for Best Classical Album at the New Zealand Music Awards. Young has been recorded by EMI, Atoll Records, Continuum, Trust Records, ABC Classics and Naxos and is a frequent presenter on RESOUND, Radio New Zealand Concert introducing and contextualising work from the RNZ archives. In 2004 was awarded the Lilburn Trust Citation in Recognition of Outstanding Services to New Zealand Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Conta</span> Romanian conductor and pianist

Vladimir (Vlad) Conta is a Romanian conductor and pianist with an international career spanning 30 years. He was the Principal Conductor of the Regina Symphony Orchestra in Canada. He has been a Principal Conductor at the Romanian National Opera, Bucharest, since 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Stoutzker</span> British banker, musician and philanthropist

SirIan Isaac Stoutzker CBE is a British banker, musician and philanthropist. He was born in England in 1929. Sir Ian was born into a musical family. His father was the Cantor at the Central Synagogue in London and his mother, Dora Cohen, a piano teacher in Tredegar, South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ondřej Vrabec</span> Czech conductor

Ondřej Vrabec is a Czech conductor and horn player, currently solo horn of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2022 season he will become Chief Conductor of the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra.

References

  1. Who's Who 2008. London: A & C Black.