Violinist James Thompson enjoys a multifaceted career as a chamber musician, soloist, educator, and lecturer. He performs regularly as a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program.
Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Thompson considers himself fortunate to have been surrounded by superlative musical artists and educators from a young age. Through the preparatory program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, he was introduced to chamber music and was inspired to pursue a career performing and collaborating with artists from around the world. Thompson has since performed for a variety of chamber music organizations across the country including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, ChamberFest Cleveland, Music@Menlo, the Four Arts Society, Parlance Chamber Concerts, the Perlman Music Program, and the Taos School of Music. Solo engagements include appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and the Blue Water Chamber Orchestra. He was invited to perform in Budapest as part of the First Bartok World Competition and in Sendai for the Seventh Sendai International Violin Competition.
Recently, Thompson’s abilities as a presenter have earned him invitations to speak at a variety of established concert series. His multimedia live-interview with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, hosted by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, was a highlight of his 2021/2022 season. As artistic director of Music@Menlo’s Winter Residency, he curates diverse student and community programs in the Bay Area.
Alongside his performance career, Thompson enjoys his work with students as a private instructor and chamber music coach. From 2019 to 2023, he joined the faculty of Music@Menlo as both a coach for the Young Performer’s Program and a mainstage artist. He has recently served as a teaching fellow at both the Encore Chamber Music Festival and the Western Reserve Chamber Music Festival. He views his work with young people as a crucial aspect of his calling as a musician, and is grateful to have the opportunity to share with everyone the joy he has found making music.
Thompson holds Bachelor of Music, Masters, and Artist Diploma degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music; his primary teachers include Jaime Laredo, William Preucil, and Paul Kantor. He currently resides in Rochester, New York with his wife, violinist Jeanelle Thompson.
