Act
Joel Thompson
Joel Thompson is a composer, conductor, pianist and educator whose works aim to prioritize community and facilitate connection, while creating music that is "alive and inquisitive, in constant dialogue" (Arts ATL) and "one of the most attractive things one has heard" (New York Classical Review). Joel Thompson is a composer, conductor, pianist and educator whose works aim to prioritize community and facilitate connection, while creating music that is "alive and inquisitive, in constant dialogue" (Arts ATL) and "one of the most attractive things one has heard" (New York Classical Review). His work is both powerful and incisive in centering the concerns and desires of the voiceless and historically marginalized. Thompson currently serves as Houston Grand Opera's first-ever full-time Composer-in-Residence, holding a five-year residency that commenced in 2022. Thompson's career honors include the 2023 Sphinx Medal of Excellence; a 2018 American Prize for his well-known choral work, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed; and the 2017 Hermitage Prize – an honor bestowed by the Hermitage Artist Retreat. Thompson draws inspiration from artists who transcend labels and have a clear sense of identity, such as Nina Simone, Esperanza Spalding and Cécile McLorin Salvant.Browse all performers
