Samuel Thompson

Praised for his passionate, sensitive and musically intelligent performances, Samuel Thompson has established a reputation as an intense, high-caliber soloist and artistic collaborator. Having been referred to as a “renaissance man”, Mr. Thompson is a multifaceted artist - committed to the discipline of orchestral playing, continuously exploring the challenges inherent in the violin repertoire, devoting energy to musical research, collaborating with theatre directors, contemporary composers and dance companies and strongly advocating music education for all people.Recently appointed to the advisory board of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Notable performances in recent seasons include his 2008 stage debut in the premiere of Carpetbag Theatre’s Between A Ballad and a Blues, his 2007 Chicago debut on WFMT-FM's Fazioli Salon Series and his 2006 debut at the New Haven International Festival of Arts and Ideas in a multimedia staged recital conceived and directed by Peter Webster and consisting of unaccompanied works by Bach, Ysäye, and Thomas Benjamin. Recently, Thompson garnered much praise for his performances as concertmaster of the Utah Festival Opera Company’s staged “radio” performances of Gypsy.A seasoned soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician, Samuel first performed as soloist in 1989 with the Carolina Amadeus Players Chamber Orchestra during the inaugural season of the Koger Center for the Performing Arts and made his national debut wit the National Repertory Orchestra in 1998. A semifinalist in the 2000 New World Symphony Concerto Competition, Samuel’s itinerary has included appearances in recital and with orchestras throughout the United States as well as performances with performance artist Ann Carlson, members of Alternate ROOTS, Carpetbag Theatre, Black Door Dance Company, and The Western Civilization. Engagements this season include a recital appearance on the Kent State Classical Concert Series and performances in both Raleigh and Seattle with Carpetbag Theatre.2005 was a year of significance for Samuel, as he became the subject of international media attention for his impromptu performances of unaccompanied Bach in both the Louisiana Superdome and New Orleans Basketball Arena during Hurricane Katrina, an event resulting in his inability to participate in the Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition which started two days after Thompson was able to leave the storm-ravaged city. Of that moment in time, which was captured by a photographer from the Baton Rouge Advocate, James Horrigan of the Boston Globe wrote: “If Nero's fiddling while Rome burned laid bare the emperor's selfishness and lack of compassion for his countrymen, Thompson's violin playing while New Orleans was underwater exemplifies the opposite.” Maintaining a sense of loyalty to the New Orleans arts community, Samuel has organized and performed in benefit concerts from which the proceeds were directed to both the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Relief Fund, his efforts becoming the subject of an article in the September 2007 International Musician. His charitable activities have also included performances for Charleston's Fotos for Humanity and Baltimore's Julie Community Center. In August 2006 Samuel was recognized by National Public Radio as one of ten musicians whose work conveys “their spirit, their spunk, and their commitment to Crescent City.”Samuel has been profiled by the Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Times, Strings Magazine, Jan Herman's “Straight-Up” at Artsjournal.com, the Boston Globe, the Miami Herald, the Miami New Times, the San Antonio Express-News, Relevant Magazine, The Gamecock, China's People in Focus Weekly, OSU Magazine and the Crescent City Chronicles, with his live performances and interviews being broadcast on National Public Radio's “Day to Day”, WSCI-FM's “Conversations with Joan”, KAHL-FM's “Sonny Melendez Show” and KOSU-FM's “Concerts from OSU”. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Samuel studied at both the University of South Carolina and Oklahoma State University, earning the Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in 1998. His principal teachers include Kenneth Goldsmith, Raphael Fliegel, Donald Portnoy and David Rudge. Currently living in Baltimore, Samuel is a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Alternate ROOTS, and Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. He plays a violin made in 1996 by violinmaker Marilyn Wallin.