Kate Thompson
Kate Thompson studied with Ryszard Bakst and Renna Kellaway at the RNCM, where she won the Peter Frankl Award and took part in masterclasses with Paul Badura-Skoda, Bernard Roberts, Ralph Kirshbaum and the Vermeer Quartet. She also received guidance from Nina Milkina, Roger Vignoles and Denis Matthews.
She has subsequently enjoyed a varied career as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral pianist, taking her on tours of Germany, Holland, Japan, Hong Kong, Sweden, Greece, Cyprus and Austria, where she appeared at the Vienna Konzerthaus and broadcast on ORF.
Kate spent over a decade based in Edinburgh, where she performed with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Paragon Ensemble, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and RSNO. She was involved extensively with Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies in the ‘Strathclyde Concerto Project’.
She has had a long association with Royal Northern Sinfonia, both as orchestral pianist and in numerous chamber recitals with members of the orchestra. She has performed much iconic 20th Century music with them, including Ligeti Chamber Concerto and Horn Trio, Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time and Schönberg Pierrot Lunaire.
Kate has appeared as soloist with Royal Northern Sinfonia in Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals with Yannick Nezet-Seguin and in Martinu Concerto for Piano & Timpani. She was also soloist with Dame Evelyn Glennie in David Lang’s ‘Pierced’ and at the Aldeburgh Festival in Barry’s ‘Lisbon’. Solo recitals have included the Manchester Midday series and Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh.
She has collaborated with soloists including Sir Thomas Allen, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Bradley Creswick, Guy Johnston and Mary King.
With the Leda Piano Trio, she has appeared at London’s Purcell Room and made numerous broadcasts, including the landmark BBC series ‘Scotland’s Music’, The Trio established their own series of concerts at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Kate has also appeared at the Proms, Huddersfield Contemporary Festival and the Bath & Edinburgh Festivals.
As accompanist. Kate has played for auditions with RNS, WNO, SCO and NYO. She is official accompanist of the Bromsgrove Young Musicians Platform.