Michael Thompson (horn player)
Encyclopedia
Michael Thompson 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 Orchestra
s, accepting the Philharmonia position, a post he held for ten years before leaving to fulfil increasing solo and chamber music commitments.
He 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.
He is an advocate of youth music-making and holds the post of Rehearsal Conductor for the Ulster Youth Orchestra.
He has toured extensively and since 2003 he has been Principal Conductor of the City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra
.
He is a Fellow and Aubrey Brain
Professor of Horn at the Royal Academy of Music.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
horn player
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
.
After studying at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, Thompson was appointed Principal Horn with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...
aged just 18 years. By the age of 21 he was offered positions as Principal Horn with both the Philharmonia
Philharmonia
The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
s, accepting the Philharmonia position, a post he held for ten years before leaving to fulfil increasing solo and chamber music commitments.
He is a member of the London Sinfonietta
London Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
, with whom he has given premiere performances of works including Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
's Hamburg Concerto. He has recorded solo, chamber, and orchestral works composed by Britten, Haydn, Messiaen, Strauss, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, and Tippett
Michael Tippett
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
, among others. He has played on movie soundtracks including Drowning by Numbers
Drowning by Numbers
Drowning by Numbers is a 1988 British film directed by Peter Greenaway. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:The film's plot centers on three women — a grandmother, mother and daughter — each named Cissie Colpitts. As the story progresses each woman successively drowns her husband...
as a member of the Michael Nyman Band
Michael Nyman Band
The Michael Nyman Band, formerly known as the Campiello Band, is a group formed as a street band for a 1976 production of Carlo Goldoni's 1756 play, Il Campiello directed by Bill Bryden at the Old Vic...
, The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
and the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
films. His work with Sir Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
led McCartney to compose Stately Horn, which the Michael Thompson Horn Quartet premiered.
He is an advocate of youth music-making and holds the post of Rehearsal Conductor for the Ulster Youth Orchestra.
He has toured extensively and since 2003 he has been Principal Conductor of the City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra
City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra
The City of Rochester Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1969 and has grown to become the foremost amateur orchestra in the Medway/North Kent area. They perform in Chatham at the Central Theatre, under the baton of the world-famous French Horn player, Michael Thompson....
.
He is a Fellow and Aubrey Brain
Aubrey Brain
Aubrey Brain was a British horn player and teacher. He was the father of Dennis Brain.-Biography:Aubrey Harold Brain was born in London in 1893. He came from a musical family. His father, A. E. Brain sr. was a member of the London Symphony Orchestra horn quartet...
Professor of Horn at the Royal Academy of Music.