Master Class: Kenneth Tompkins
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- Date/Time
- 09/11/2012 12:30 PM EST - 1:30 PM EST
- Location
- Diehn Center for the Performing Arts - Chandler Recital Hall
- Description
- Thompkins' relaxed virtuosity, suave legato, variety of attacks, and vibrant sound, rich and full from the basement to the balcony of his instrument, were all wonders. Of course the trombone is hard to play; the trick is to make it look easy. Thompkins does." - Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press "DSO principal trombonist Ken Thompkins was an exceptional soloist, playing with a buttery sound and liquid legato that connected the widest melodies into arcs of lyricism. He then played the darting rhythms so gracefully it called up the ghost of the late jazz trombonist J.J. Johnson."-Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press Kenneth Thompkins, Principal Trombone of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 1997, has held positions in the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Florida Orchestra and performed with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. A former participant in the Detroit Symphony's African American Fellowship Program, he has been a mentor to several Orchestra Fellows over the years. Known for his educational skills, Thompkins has been invited to perform and conduct master classes at many music schools, including the Curtis Institute of Music, Mannes College, the University of Michigan, and Interlochen Arts Academy. As an active chamber musician, Thompkins performs frequently in recital and is a member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings. Additionally he has performed concertos with both the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony. He has also toured Europe with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and has also performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He can be heard on recordings by Detroit Chamber Winds, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Recently, he contributed a chapter to The Brass Player's Cookbook: Creative Recipes for a Successful Performance.
