About Nick

Nick Thompson is a versatile musician and educator based out of the Washington, D.C. area. He previously held the position of Principal Clarinet with the Youngstown, Flint, and Lima Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed frequently with various other orchestras such as the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony, and many others. He was the winner of the 2022 American Prize in Instrumental Performance within the College/University division and won the Second Prize in the 2021 Henri Selmer Paris International Academy Competition. He performed Mozart's Clarinet Concerto with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra in 2022, and Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsodie with the George Mason University Symphony Orchestra in 2016. Nick is currently a clarinetist with "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra in Washington, D.C.

In addition to his own schedule of performances, Nick performs with a variety of chamber groups. Nick is a member of the Newfound Chamber Winds (NFCW) based in Norfolk, VA, where he has been involved in several performances, recording projects and world premieres as well as teaching private lessons and coaching chamber music within NFCW's Fellowship Program.
Nick is also the clarinetist for Duo Sori, a clarinet and piano duo formed in 2018 at the University of Michigan with pianist Minji Kim. Duo Sori has recently won 2nd prize in the 2024 Lancaster International Chamber Music Competition and has performed throughout the Midwest and East Coast of the United States, and in South Korea. Their repertoire showcases a wide variety of styles that delve into standard works and sonatas, transcriptions, and some of the newest compositions being written for the clarinet and piano medium. 
Lastly, he is a founding member of the Chamber Artists of Southeast Michigan (CASM) - a chamber music group founded in 2018 that has always brought the highest caliber classical musicians together in order to present intimate live concerts, offer educational and scholarship opportunities, and to commission and perform new works of music from Michigan composers and composers of diverse backgrounds.

He was featured as both principal clarinet and Eb clarinet throughout the Bolcom & Friends album made with the University of Michigan Symphony Band under the direction of Michael Haithcock. He also was a member of the large-scale ensemble that made the premiere recording of John Luther Adams' Sila: The Breath of the World during the COVID pandemic, which was later nominated for a GRAMMY in 2022. Nick has performed various solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States, Austria, and South Korea. 

​In addition to being a busy performer, Nick is a passionate educator throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Several of his students have gone on to pursue undergraduate music degrees, have held principal chairs in multiple youth orchestras in the area, have been accepted to VA All-State, and have received Superior rankings at Solo and Ensemble. Nick is currently teaching private lessons at Longfellow Middle School in Falls Church, VA.
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A native of Great Falls, VA, Nick graduated from the University of Michigan with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance, and George Mason University with a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance. He has primarily studied with Chad Burrow, Dan Gilbert, Kathy Mulcahy, and Ralph Skiano.