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Hailed as a “musician’s musician” and praised for his passionate, sensitive and insightful interpretations, Samuel Thompson has established a reputation as an intense, high-caliber performer, being sought after throughout the United States and North America as both soloist and artistic collaborator. At home with a wide range of musical styles, Samuel’s notable recent performances include his 2008 debut as concertmaster of the Utah Festival Opera Orchestra, his 2007 Chicago debut on WFMT-FM's Fazioli Salon Series and his 2006 debut at the New Haven International Festival of Arts and Ideas in a multimedia staged recital consisting of unaccompanied works by Bach, Ysäye, and Thomas Benjamin - all of which were met with tremendous audience acclaim. A seasoned soloist, Samuel was a semifinalist in the 2000 New World Symphony Concerto Competition and has performed with the Oklahoma State University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, National Repertory Orchestra, members of Orchestra X, Cortlandt Chamber Orchestra, Houston Community Center Orchestra and the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his solo performances, Samuel is an avid recitalist and chamber musician, having performed with the Marian Anderson String Quartet and members of both the Louisiana Philharmonic and the San Antonio Symphony. In recent seasons, Samuel has been presented at the Columbia Festival of the Arts, the USC Cares: Renewal Through Music Series, the South Carolina Mozart Festival and the Millenium Music Spotlight Series. The 2008-2009 season will include performances on the Kent State/Ashtabula Classical Concert Series. Samuel’s ardent and fearless interest in other art forms has led to many appearances with both dance and theatre companies throughout the United States, including his current associations with both Carpetbag Theatre, with whom he performed to critical acclaim throughout the United States in 2008, and London-based Rajni Shah Theatre, with whom he collaborated on the multimedia work “Dinner With America” which is currently touring both Spain and the United Kingdom. Performances in previous seasons include collaborations with opera and stage director Peter Webster, performance artist Ann Carlson at DiverseWorks Artspace (Houston, TX) and the Black Door Dance Company the Colony Theatre (Miami Beach, FL). Additionally, Samuel’s interest in and exploration of new music has led to work with many composers including John Cornelius and Amy Scurria. Samuel has also written for Strings Magazine and maintains a blog, “Life, Musicmaking, and the World.” 2005 was a year of significance for Samuel, as he became the subject of international media attention for his impromptu performances of unaccompanied Bach in both the Louisiana Superdome and New Orleans Basketball Arena during Hurricane Katrina, an event resulting in his inability to participate in the Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition which started two days after Thompson was able to leave the storm-ravaged city. Maintaining a sense of loyalty to the New Orleans arts community, Samuel has organized and performed in benefit concerts from which the proceeds were directed to both the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Relief Fund, his efforts becoming the subject of an article in the September 2007 International Musician. In August 2006 Samuel was recognized by National Public Radio as one of ten musicians whose work conveys “their spirit, their spunk, and their commitment to Crescent City.” Samuel has been profiled by the Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Times, Strings Magazine, Jan Herman's “Straight-Up” at Artsjournal.com, the Boston Globe, the Miami Herald, the Miami New Times, the San Antonio Express-News, Relevant Magazine, The Gamecock, China's People in Focus Weekly, OSU Magazine and the Crescent City Chronicles, with his live performances and interviews being broadcast on National Public Radio's “Day to Day”, WSCI-FM's “Conversations with Joan”, KAHL-FM's “Sonny Melendez Show” and KOSU-FM's “Concerts from OSU”. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Samuel began playing at the age of nine, making his debut at the age of eighteen with the Carolina Amadeus Players Chamber Orchestra. He studied at both the University of South Carolina and Oklahoma State University, earning the Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where he studied with Kenneth Goldsmith and Raphael Fliegel. Currently living in New York, Samuel is a member of the American Federation of Musicians, Alternate ROOTS, and Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. He plays a violin made in 1996 by violinmaker Marilyn Wallin.