Gwendoline Linda Louise Thompson (born 30 March 1947 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian violinist and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

. She has been a member of two notable

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

ensembles with whom she has made several commercial recordings: the Masterpiece Trio (1977–1988) and Viveza, the latter of which she formed in 1989 with Lee Duckles (cello), Wilmer Fawcett (double-bass), Mark Koenig (violin), and Linda Lee Thomas (piano). She has also appeared in concert as a soloist with several Canadian orchestras, including the

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The VSO performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra's permanent home since 1977. With an annual operating budget of $16 million, it is ...

, Victoria Symphony and the British Columbia Chamber Orchestra. Thompson was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2003.

Early life and education

Thompson grew up in Winnipeg and began her violin studies as a child in her native city where she was a pupil of S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté, Frank Simmons, and John Waterhouse. As a teenager she was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada from 1961–1966, notably serving as its concertmaster during her final year which included a European tour. She also played in both the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the

CBC Winnipeg Orchestra The CBC Winnipeg Orchestra (CBCWO) was a radio orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for 37 years. The orchestra mainly performed on CBC Radio, but also occasionally performed liv ...

in 1963–1964. In 1965 Thompson entered the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she was a pupil of violinist

Josef Gingold Josef Gingold (; January 11, 1995) was a Russian-born American classical violinist and teacher who lived most of his life in the United States. At the time of his death he was considered one of the most influential violin masters in the United St ...

and earned a Bachelor of Music and performer's cetrificatw in violin performance in 1969. While a student there she notably toured Western Canada with pianist

Diedre Irons Diedre Allison Irons (born 9 March 1945) is a Canadian-born concert pianist who has been based in New Zealand since 1977. Biography Irons was a child prodigy and a star pupil of the Russian-born Canadian composer and virtuoso pianist Sophie- ...

in 1966–1967 in concerts sponsored by the Jeunesses musicales of Canada and served as associate concertmaster of the Orchestra of the JM International Federation in Paris in 1967. She later studied music privately with

Ivan Galamian Ivan Alexander Galamian ( hy, Իվան Ղալամեան; April 14, 1981) was an Armenian-American violin teacher of the twentieth century who was the violin teacher of many seminal violin players including Itzhak Perlman. Biography Galamian w ...

and Jascha Heifetz in the United States.

Orchestra London Canada

In 1971 Thompson became the concertmaster of the

Orchestra London Canada Orchestra London Canada was a professional Canadian symphony orchestra based in London, Ontario. The orchestra was founded by conductor and violinist Bruce Sharpe in 1937 with the name the London Civic Symphony Orchestra. In 1957 the orchestra cha ...

and joined the music faculty at the University of Western Ontario. She remained in both posts until 1975 when she was appointed the head of the string department at the Vancouver Academy of Music, a position she held until 1998. She also taught on the music faculty of the University of British Columbia from 1975 to 1983. She has also been highly active as a teacher of masterclasses and as a competition adjudicator in both Canada and the United States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Gwen 1947 births Living people Canadian classical violinists Canadian women academics Indiana University alumni Members of the Order of Canada Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario Academic staff of the Vancouver Academy of Music Musicians from Winnipeg Writers from Winnipeg Women classical violinists 20th-century classical violinists 21st-century classical violinists 20th-century Canadian women musicians 21st-century Canadian women musicians 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers 21st-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers Canadian women violinists and fiddlers