Marcus Thompson
Encyclopedia
Marcus Thompson is a violist
and viola d'amore
player known for his work as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and educator.
Thompson is a founding member and is currently Artistic Director of the Boston Chamber Music Society
, and is currently a faculty member at MIT and the New England Conservatory of Music
.
's South Bronx. He began studying the violin
at age six and, at the age of fourteen, entered The Juilliard School
Pre-College where he studied with Louise Behrend. Thompson remained at the Juilliard School and eventually earned his doctoral degree in viola and viola d'amore studies. Thompson primarily studied with Walter Trampler
while attending the school and was the first person to earn a doctorate in viola performance from Juilliard.
in the Young Concert Artists Series in 1968. Since then, Thompson has presented recitals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
in Boston, Orchestra Hall
in Minneapolis, the Terrace Theater
at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Herbst Theater in San Francisco, numerous colleges and universities, and many other places. To mark the Hindemith Centenary, he performed a recital of the complete sonatas with piano for viola and viola d'amore composed by Paul Hindemith
in Boston's Jordan Hall
with pianist Judith Gordon
.
As a soloist, Thompson has performed with many of the world's finest orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
, the Philadelphia Orchestra
, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra
, the Atlanta Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Boston Pops, the Chicago Sinfonietta
, the Slovenian Radio Orchestra and the Czech National Symphony among others.
Thompson has also worked with some of the world's finest conductors including Charles Dutoit
, Michael Tilson Thomas
, Jah Jah Ling, Yoel Levi
, John Harbison
, and Paul Freeman among others.
Thompson has also worked with some of the world's finest musicians, including violinist Yehudi Menuhin
.
As a chamber musician Thompson has appeared as the guest of the Audubon String Quartet, Borromeo String Quartet
, Cleveland String Quartet, Emerson String Quartet
, Miami String Quartet
, Muir String Quartet, Orion String Quartet
, Shanghai String Quartet, and Vermeer String Quartet. Thompson has also collaborated with the Fine Arts String Quartet, Endellion String Quartet, St. Petersburg String Quartet
, Biava String Quartet, Jupiter String Quartet, Vogler String Quartet, and Oregon String Quartet
. He has participated in chamber music festivals in Rockport (MA and ME), Chestnut Hill (CT), Sitka (AK), Anchorage, Seattle, Northwest (OR), Los Angeles, Okinawa, Santa Fe, Vail, Dubrovnik, Spoleto, Montreal, and Rio de Janeiro. Among his career highlights are performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in a Live from Lincoln Center
broadcast and at a Presidential Inaugural Concert at the Kennedy Center. He has also appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Amsterdam in Holland, and is a founding member of the Boston Chamber Music Society
.
Thompson also makes frequent appearances with Baroque ensembles, such as the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque, as a viola d'amore
player. Thompson plays a viola d'amore that was made in Bohemia
(known today as the Czech Republic
) in the mid-18th century. Thompson first encounter the viola d'amore was when he heard a performance of the Hindemith's Sonata for Viola d'Amore and Piano played by Walter Trampler
and James Levine
. The sound of the viola d'amore, even in a modern piece, was so enchanting to Thompson that he immediately fell in love with it. Since then, Thompson has dedicated his time to learning the viola d'amore with an attention to Baroque performance practices like inflected bowing, limited vibrato, and the use of harmonics. Thompson believes that playing the viola d'amore has enhanced his viola playing by widening the color palette and clarifying distinctions in musical expression.
. He founded the university's performance programs in private studies and chamber music. He has been recognized for extraordinary teaching at MIT with an appointment as a Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow.
His previous teaching appointments have been at institutions including The Juilliard School
Pre-College Division, Oakwood College
, Mt. Holyoke College, and Wesleyan University
.
A frequent guest presenter of viola and chamber music master classes, he has recently conducted master classes at the University of Oregon
School of Music, Williams College
Music Department, Boston Conservatory
(String Seminar), and for Project STEP at Symphony Hall, Boston. Mr. Thompson serves on the Board of Project STEP, is a member of Chamber Music America and the American String Teachers Association
. He is also a member of the Viola d'Amore Society and of the American Viola Society
. Mr. Thompson served as host director for the 1985 American Viola Society Congress XIII held at the New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston.
, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra
, and the Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Violist
-Notable violists:A* Julia Rebekka Adler * Sir Hugh Allen , conductor* Kris Allen * Johann Andreas Amon * Paul Angerer , composer* Steven Ansell * Atar Arad * Cecil Aronowitz...
and viola d'amore
Viola d'amore
The viola d'amore is a 7- or 6-stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin.- Structure and sound :...
player known for his work as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and educator.
Thompson is a founding member and is currently Artistic Director of the Boston Chamber Music Society
Boston Chamber Music Society
The Boston Chamber Music Society is an American organization of musicians located in Boston, Massachusetts and dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization performs works from the Baroque era to the present day and is a member of Chamber Music America...
, and is currently a faculty member at MIT and the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
.
Early life and education
Thompson was born in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's South Bronx. He began studying the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
at age six and, at the age of fourteen, entered The Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
Pre-College where he studied with Louise Behrend. Thompson remained at the Juilliard School and eventually earned his doctoral degree in viola and viola d'amore studies. Thompson primarily studied with Walter Trampler
Walter Trampler
Walter Trampler was a German musician and teacher of the viola and viola d'amore.Born at Munich, he began to study music at the age of 6, learning from his father, a violinist. In his youth, he toured Europe performing as the violist of the Strub String Quartet...
while attending the school and was the first person to earn a doctorate in viola performance from Juilliard.
Music career
Thompson made his professional and New York debut at Carnegie HallCarnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in the Young Concert Artists Series in 1968. Since then, Thompson has presented recitals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
in Boston, Orchestra Hall
Orchestra Hall
Orchestra Hall may refer to:*Symphony Center, home of Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Illinois*Orchestra Hall *Orchestra Hall...
in Minneapolis, the Terrace Theater
Terrace Theater
The Terrace Theater is a full theatrical and performance venue located in Long Beach, California. The theater seats 3,051 patrons at its maximum configuration in Orchestra, Loge, and Balcony sections. The Orchestra seating section is arranged in the Continental seating style with no center aisle...
at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Herbst Theater in San Francisco, numerous colleges and universities, and many other places. To mark the Hindemith Centenary, he performed a recital of the complete sonatas with piano for viola and viola d'amore composed by Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
in Boston's Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall is a 1,019-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall, and together they are considered two of America's most acoustically perfect performance spaces...
with pianist Judith Gordon
Judith Gordon
-Education:Judith Gordon studied at Oberlin Conservatory and at New England Conservatory where she studied with Patricia Zander.-New York debut:Judith Gordon gave her New York recital debut on May 27, 1990 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the museum’s Introductions series. Bernard...
.
As a soloist, Thompson has performed with many of the world's finest orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, the Atlanta Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is a 40-member American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, considered by music critic Jim Svejda as "America's finest chamber orchestra".-History:...
, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Boston Pops, the Chicago Sinfonietta
Chicago Sinfonietta
The Chicago Sinfonietta is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. The stated mission of the orchestra is to "serve as a national model for inclusiveness and innovation in classical music" and to "help America become a true cultural democracy, in which everyone can share fully in its...
, the Slovenian Radio Orchestra and the Czech National Symphony among others.
Thompson has also worked with some of the world's finest conductors including Charles Dutoit
Charles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and artistic director of the New World Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:...
, Jah Jah Ling, Yoel Levi
Yoel Levi
Yoel Levi is a musician and conductor. Born in Romania, he grew up in Israel. He studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, earning a Master of Arts degree with distinction. He also studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music under Mendi Rodan. Levi won the 1978 International Besançon Competition...
, John Harbison
John Harbison
John Harris Harbison is an American composer, best known for his operas and large choral works.-Life:...
, and Paul Freeman among others.
Thompson has also worked with some of the world's finest musicians, including violinist Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
.
As a chamber musician Thompson has appeared as the guest of the Audubon String Quartet, Borromeo String Quartet
Borromeo String Quartet
The Borromeo String Quartet is an American string quartet, in residence at the New England Conservatory since 1992. They have performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, at numerous festivals and in many distinguished chamber music series...
, Cleveland String Quartet, Emerson String Quartet
Emerson String Quartet
The Emerson String Quartet is a New York–based string quartet in residence at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Previously the Quartet was in residence at The Hartt School. Formed in 1976, they have released more than twenty albums and won nine Grammy Awards. Both violinists...
, Miami String Quartet
Miami String Quartet
The Miami String Quartet is an American string quartet. The group was founded in 1988 at The New World School of the Arts by John de Lancie in Miami, Florida, and is now Quartet in Residence at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, where all four members serve as faculty members in the School of...
, Muir String Quartet, Orion String Quartet
Orion String Quartet
The Orion String Quartet is a string quartet formed in 1987. It is the quartet-in-residence of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and New York's Mannes College of Music. The members are Todd and Daniel Phillips, brothers who alternate on first and second violin, violist Steven Tenenbom...
, Shanghai String Quartet, and Vermeer String Quartet. Thompson has also collaborated with the Fine Arts String Quartet, Endellion String Quartet, St. Petersburg String Quartet
St. Petersburg String Quartet
St.Petersburg String Quartet is a Russian string quartet, that alongside the Borodin String Quartet represents the great Russian tradition of the string quartet playing....
, Biava String Quartet, Jupiter String Quartet, Vogler String Quartet, and Oregon String Quartet
Oregon String Quartet
The Oregon String Quartet is a resident ensemble of the University of Oregon School of Music in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The members of the quartet are:*Kathryn Lucktenberg, violin*Fritz Gearhart, violin*Leslie Straka, viola...
. He has participated in chamber music festivals in Rockport (MA and ME), Chestnut Hill (CT), Sitka (AK), Anchorage, Seattle, Northwest (OR), Los Angeles, Okinawa, Santa Fe, Vail, Dubrovnik, Spoleto, Montreal, and Rio de Janeiro. Among his career highlights are performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in a Live from Lincoln Center
Live from Lincoln Center
Live From Lincoln Center is an ongoing series of musical performances produced by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with Thirteen/WNET in New York City....
broadcast and at a Presidential Inaugural Concert at the Kennedy Center. He has also appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Amsterdam in Holland, and is a founding member of the Boston Chamber Music Society
Boston Chamber Music Society
The Boston Chamber Music Society is an American organization of musicians located in Boston, Massachusetts and dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization performs works from the Baroque era to the present day and is a member of Chamber Music America...
.
Thompson also makes frequent appearances with Baroque ensembles, such as the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque, as a viola d'amore
Viola d'amore
The viola d'amore is a 7- or 6-stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin.- Structure and sound :...
player. Thompson plays a viola d'amore that was made in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
(known today as the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) in the mid-18th century. Thompson first encounter the viola d'amore was when he heard a performance of the Hindemith's Sonata for Viola d'Amore and Piano played by Walter Trampler
Walter Trampler
Walter Trampler was a German musician and teacher of the viola and viola d'amore.Born at Munich, he began to study music at the age of 6, learning from his father, a violinist. In his youth, he toured Europe performing as the violist of the Strub String Quartet...
and James Levine
James Levine
James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Levine's first performance conducting the Metropolitan Opera was on June 5, 1971, and as of May 2011 he has...
. The sound of the viola d'amore, even in a modern piece, was so enchanting to Thompson that he immediately fell in love with it. Since then, Thompson has dedicated his time to learning the viola d'amore with an attention to Baroque performance practices like inflected bowing, limited vibrato, and the use of harmonics. Thompson believes that playing the viola d'amore has enhanced his viola playing by widening the color palette and clarifying distinctions in musical expression.
Teaching career
Thompson serves as a member of the viola faculty at the New England Conservatory and as the Robert R. Taylor Professor of Music at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He founded the university's performance programs in private studies and chamber music. He has been recognized for extraordinary teaching at MIT with an appointment as a Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow.
His previous teaching appointments have been at institutions including The Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
Pre-College Division, Oakwood College
Oakwood College
Oakwood University is a private university located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
, Mt. Holyoke College, and Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
.
A frequent guest presenter of viola and chamber music master classes, he has recently conducted master classes at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
School of Music, Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
Music Department, Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
(String Seminar), and for Project STEP at Symphony Hall, Boston. Mr. Thompson serves on the Board of Project STEP, is a member of Chamber Music America and the American String Teachers Association
American String Teachers Association
The American String Teacher's Association is a professional organization based in the United States for music teachers. It is the largest such national organization in the US for string teachers. It promotes learning to play string instruments in the next generation of American students, and...
. He is also a member of the Viola d'Amore Society and of the American Viola Society
American Viola Society
The American Viola Society is an organization headquartered in Dallas, Texas that promotes interest in the viola by its performers, teachers, luthiers, and enthusiasts....
. Mr. Thompson served as host director for the 1985 American Viola Society Congress XIII held at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
in Boston.
Recordings
Although Thompson has yet to make a solo album recording, he can be heard on more than 20 CDs by various musical ensembles. These include performances by the Amsterdam Chamber Music Society, the Boston Chamber Music SocietyBoston Chamber Music Society
The Boston Chamber Music Society is an American organization of musicians located in Boston, Massachusetts and dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization performs works from the Baroque era to the present day and is a member of Chamber Music America...
, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Czech National Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra in Prague in the Czech Republic. It was established in 1993 by trumpet player Jan Hasenöhrl...
, and the Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra.