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Russell Thompson
Education:
Master of Musical Arts – Yale University
Master of Music – Boston University
Bachelor of Music Performance – Cleveland Institute of Music
Additional Studies:
Doctorate of Music at the University of North Texas in progress
A native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Russell Thompson joined the Louisiana Philharmonic in 2023. Previously, he served as the principal bassist of the McKinney Philharmonic and the Arkansas Symphony. He has worked as adjunct professor of double bass at Texas Woman’s University as well as Hendrix College. He has given masterclasses at West Texas A&M University, and taught for three years as a staff member at Peabody Bass Works in Baltimore.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Thompson has performed on multiple continents. His group won the Yale Chamber Music Competition in 2019 with a performance of Edgar Varese’s Octandre. He has also performed as a soloist in such varied locations as Houston (TX), Cleveland (OH), Floyd (VA), Chestertown (MD), Little Rock (AR) and Graz (Austria).
Thompson earned his BA in Music Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He then went on to earn a Masters in Performance from Boston University and a Master of Musical Arts from Yale University before beginning his doctoral studies in Bass and Cello Pedagogy at the University of North Texas. His primary teachers include Tracy Rowell, Maximilian Dimoff, Edwin Barker, Don Palma, and Jeff Bradetich.
Thompson also spent summers with the National Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Texas Music Festival, the AIMS Opera Festival, Taneycomo Music Festival, and the Artosphere Festival Orchestra.
Away from the bass, Thompson’s other interests include poker, golf, fly fishing, and hiking. He is also an avid reader and a fan of ancient history. He plays a bass made by Oregon Luthier Seth Kimmel and a bow by the Swiss maker Pierre Yves Fuchs.
