MEET THE MUSICIANS
PERCUSSION CHRIS THOMPSON
Originally from the San Francisco bay area, Chris Thompson performs an eclectic mix of orchestral, solo, and chamber music all over the world, and has quickly become a fixture of the freelance scene in New York City.
Highlights of 2007/08 include performing on stage in the world premier of Tan Dun’s The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera, tours of Europe and Russia with the contemporary chamber music ensemble Alarm Will Sound, playing the Apollo theater with the band Antony and the Johnsons, and performing as a soloist numerous times with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. He also composed, and did post-production for the score to the short film IF, directed by Teressa Tunney.
As a founding member of the percussion quartet Line C3, Chris has toured Japan, commissioned works from some of New York City’s best young composers, and has twice been in residence at the Juilliard School Percussion Seminar. Line C3 was recently featured on a segment of NPR’s All Things Considered. He is also a member of theAmerican Contemporary Music Ensemble, which is dedicated to exploring the greatest masterpieces of 20th century chamber music, and The Knights Chamber Orchestra.
Chris is in demand in New York City as a freelancer in orchestral music, contemporary chamber music, and Broadway, and has performed with the Lincoln Center Festival,Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Chamber Soloists, New York City Master Chorale, Stamford Symphony, Axiom Ensemble, Continuum, Dimpho Di Kopane, and Vermont Mozart Festival, among many others. He has recorded for numerous chamber music projects, as well as for Nonesuch Records, BET, and A&E Networks.
Chris holds a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School, where he was a student of Daniel Druckman, a Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA in percussion performance and composition as a student of Mitchell Peters and Roger Bourland, and a Specialists Certificate in Electronic Music Production from the Berklee School of Music. Chris currently resides in Brooklyn where he spends his free time inventing funny techno music and trying to read Japanese Comics.
Photo by Liz Linder
