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The English bartitone, Humphrey Thompson, was a chorister at New College, Oxford as a boy before a post-school gap year at Norwich Cathedral (2013-2014). He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Musicology and Ethnomusicology Grade 1st Class Honors from Gonville & Caius College at Cambridge University (2014-2017), where he focused his studies on early Tudor music. He studied there with Russell Smythe and had master-classes with Sir Thomas Allen, James Gilchrist, Roderick Williams and Nicholas Mulroy. He obtained his Master's degree in Vocal Performance from the Royal College of Music in London (2018-2020), where he was Recipient of the Mercers' Award for academic contribution to music in the community.
In his first year at Cambridge University Humphrey Thompson founded his own early music consort, Ensemble Pro Victoria with a friend at King’s. They did large works alongside period-performance orchestras (Monteverdi, J.S. Bach Oratorios) with more intimate consort performances of Ludford, Fayrfax, Tallis and the like. He also sang with Sansara, the Beaufort Singers and toured with the Royal Academy Chamber Choir.
Humphrey Thompson has performed with Oxford Bach Soloists (Director: Tom Hammond-Davies) J.S. Bach's Cantata Christ Lag in Todesbanden BWV 4 (December 2016) and the Easter Oratorio (BWV 249) (April 2019), later the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) on Christmas Eve. He undertook his first Ralph Vaughan Williams's Five Mystical Songs with a choral society in Cambridge in Trinity Chapel, which he performed as part of his finals recital in West Road concert hall in June 2017. In 2017, he was also bass soloist for J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) and Monteverdi's Vespers in King’s Chapel, J.S. Bach's Cantatas BWV 159 and BWV 131 in Trinity Chapel and Theseus in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At Cambridge he took part in some incredible student projects, including a consort performance of Dietrich Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri in Trinity on Ash Wednesday.
Humphrey Thompson is actively part of different opera productions such as Puccini’s La Boheme for Hampstead Garden Opera and Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti. He has been touring around Europe and the BBC Proms with the Monteverdi Choir (Director: John Eliot Gardiner) in the production of Berlioz’ Benvenuto Cellini Opera. Humphrey also regularly appears for Sofar Sounds in their exciting London series, newly enriched with Classical performers in more relaxed venues. These, help reframe classical music in more familiar settings, helping to encourage its appreciation away from the traditional concert situations.
Since September 2020, Humphrey Thompson is also a Graduate finance trainee at Southwark Council, studying for the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy qualification. He currently lives in London, England. |
