Music, Theatre, Dance Faculty & Staff
Last Name
Thompson
First Name
James
Email
thompja3@gvsu.edu
Title
Affiliate Faculty, Flute
Website
Office Address
1204 PAC
Office Phone
616-331-3510
About
Originally hailing from Missouri, Dr. James Thompson joined the faculty at Grand Valley State University in Fall 2024 and now resides in Grand Rapids. Dedicated to the expansion of the flute repertoire, James was awarded grant funding to travel to France for his dissertation research on the flute music of Nicolas Bacri. His dissertation was subsequently named a winner of the National Flute Association’s (NFA) Graduate Research Competition. James gave the American premiere of Bacri’s Concerto pour flute in 2017. James has also performed new works for flute by Robert Fruehwald, Roy Magnuson, and Lindsey Wiehl at several NFA conventions, the College Music Society National Conference, and the American Viola Society Festival.
James has been featured as a concerto soloist with the New Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Southern Illinois Symphony, the Ball State University Symphony Orchestra, and the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra. During the summers, James has appeared in music festivals such as Domaine Forget (Canada), Festival Suoni d’Abruzzo (Italy), the Fresno Opera & Orchestra Summer Academy, and the Southern Illinois Music Festival.
As an orchestral musician, James currently holds the 3rd Flute & Piccolo chair with Symphony of the Lakes (Indiana) and has performed with regional orchestras across the Midwest. Recognized for his engaging teaching style, James is in demand as an educator. He has given flute masterclasses and clinics at Indiana State University, Valley City State University, Texas Lutheran University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Southeast Missouri State University, and East Central College.
James’s degrees are from Truman State University, Illinois State University, and Ball State University. Prior to joining the faculty at GVSU, he taught at Ball State University, Earlham College, and Taylor University, and served as Education Coordinator for Orchestra Indiana.