Ellis Thompson

Ellis is a violinist and violist based in Manchester. He graduated with a BMus (Hons) degree in Music from the University of Birmingham in 2012 and an MMus from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2017. Between the two, he continued his musical studies in Innsbruck (2012-14) and Vienna (2015, at the Vienna Konservatorium) whilst working as an English Language Assistant for the British Council. Alongside the violin, he has studied viola and baroque violin.

 

Ellis has performed with the Manchester Camerata, the Mowbray Orchestra, the Skipton Camerata, the London Gala Orchestra, the Dartington Festival Orchestra and the Northern Baroque Sinfonia, in addition to the cross-genre Kaleidoscope and GSD orchestras. Premières of contemporary works have been given at Artsfest Birmingham, Salford’s Lowry Gallery, and both the New Music North West and London Contemporary Music festivals. Other festival performances include the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte in Montepulciano, Tuscany, the New Generation Festival in Florence, and Dartington International Summer School.

 

Currently a member of the Ellison and Covers String Quartets and the Tjiok Piano Trio, his love of chamber music has also led to performances across Yorkshire as a participant in Vacation Chamber Orchestras courses, in addition to regular function engagements on violin, viola and piano. Ellis is also a member of the Tartan Trio Ceilidh Band.

 

Away from the violin, Ellis has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, accompanying improvised comedy shows with the ‘Watch This’ Improv Troupe on piano, and with other shows playing drum-kit and bass guitar.