A classically trained composer with an ongoing fascination for popular culture, Philip Thompson composes music for chamber ensembles, orchestra, electroacoustic events, and occasionally, online games.
Most recently Thompson’s music has been performed by Alia Musica Pittsburgh, IonSound Project, heard on Pittsburgh’s U3 Festival (new music by composers from Pitt, Duquesne, and Carnegie Mellon Universities), Prog Rockers for MOTE (a benefit concert for Pitt’s Music on the Edge series), Sewickley United Methodist Church, and the Listening Chamber at Grand Valley State University (Michigan). His music reflects influences as diverse as Messiaen, Bill Evans, djembe drumming, and the baroque doctrine of affections, all blended into a very personal style.
Thompson was born in Baltimore and grew up in Forest Hill, Maryland. He received his early musical training through Harford County’s excellent public education system and Peabody Conservatory’s preparatory school studying trombone and composition. Thompson completed his undergraduate work at Oberlin Conservatory and received his MA and PhD in composition and theory from the University of Pittsburgh. He has served as adjunct faculty at Seton Hill University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Chatham University teaching courses in music theory, appreciation, and technology.
Philip Thompson was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society and publishes Pittsburgh New Music Net, a blog about contemporary music in Pittsburgh. He lives in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood with is wife and two children.