James Thomson
Instrument: Violin
Biography:
James Thompson, 19, is a student at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, studying with Dr. Cornelia Heard. He won the University Violin Concerto in January of 2022 and soloed with the university’s orchestra. From age 10 to 18 he was a private student of Dr. Sally O’Reilly (University of Minnesota). He has won first and second prizes in the Mary West, MTNA state, Schubert Club, and Thursday Musical competitions over those years, and Honorable Mention in the MTNA Midwest division.
James has attended festivals including Bravo! Summer Strings Institute, Pienza Music Festival (Tuscany, Italy), and Bowdoin International Music Festival. He has performed in masterclasses for Yair Kless, Erico Tsuchihashi, John Gilbert, Epsen Lillislåtten, Bruce Coppock, and Martin Beaver.
James plays a Paul Baily 1870 violin generously on loan from the Virtu Foundation.
