Dr. Shannon Thompson

School of Music
Biography
Education
- DMA, University of Texas Austin, Clarinet Performance / Music
- MM, Boston University, Clarinet Performance / Music
- BA, University of Oregon, Music
Teaching Interests
Shannon Thompson has led the clarinet studio at ĢƵ since 1997. Under her direction, clarinet studio members have won numerous awards, including thirteen concerto competition prizes. She specializes in helping clarinetists discover their potential as musicians by building new, healthy habits of sound production and technique. This involves freeing up body movement which allows the flexibility necessary for clarinetists to express their own artistic voices. In addition to applied clarinet lessons, Dr. Thompson teaches reed-making, conducts clarinet choir, and coaches woodwind chamber ensembles. She also instructs future band directors in the arts of teaching and playing woodwind instruments.
Research Interests
Shannon Thompson is principal clarinetist of the Hendersonville Symphony and bass clarinetist of the Asheville Symphony. She served on the faculty of the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy, and she is a frequent performer at the International Clarinet Association's annual ClarinetFest. She also serves as North Carolina State Chair of the International Clarinet Association. As a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist, Thompson’s performances include a wide range of music. She is an avid forager and transcriber of music, and her recent adaptations include music by Rebecca Clarke, Lili and Nadia Boulanger, Fanny Hensel, and Florence Price, as well as the music of jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli.