Originally from Aberdeen , Scotland , pianist Richard Thompson made his debut at the Purcell Room in the Royal Festival Hall in London . He has appeared in live broadcasts for B.B.C. Jazz and Classical Radio, Italian National Television and Radio and also given concerts at La Piccola Scala in Milan , and The Teatro Regio in Turin , among many others. His orchestral appearances include The Harlem Festival Orchestra, The Boston Orchestra and Chorale, The Glasgow Chamber Orchestra and The Aberdeen Chamber Orchestra. San Diego TV Channel 24 frequently broadcasts a solo jazz piano recital, originally performed at the San Diego Public Library in 2002.  

Equally gifted as a classical and jazz pianist, Mr. Thompson accompanies clarinetist Marian Liebowitz on recitals throughout the Western hemisphere. He also appeared as a collaborative pianist with SDSU jazz piano professor Rick Helzer at the 2002 Idyllwild Jazz Festival and performed a set of his own songs with classical tenor Darryl Taylor in recitals throughout the United States . He was a member of the Frank Lacy Quartet and substituted for Geri Allen in an Off-Broadway production entitled "In Walks Bud". 

As a composer, Mr. Thompson was awarded the first Individual Artist Award for classical music composition from The Brooklyn Arts Council in 1999. The winning piece, Legend Of The Moors , is a musical depiction of the presence and influence of the Moors in Spain during the Middle Ages and was premiered at The Brooklyn Conservatory in 1999.  In 2000 he premiered an orchestral piece entitled Voices with the Long Island Sound Symphony Orchestra under Dorothy Savitch.   The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Richard Auldon Clark, with Christine Moore, soprano, gave the world premiere performance in 2000 of Mr. Thompson's song cycle The Shadow of Dawn at Merkin Hall in New York City . A discussion of some of his compositions appears in the 1998 textbook entitled, "African-American Music, An Introduction" by Dr. Earl Stewart, published by Simon and Schuster Macmillan/Prentice Hall International. In May 1997 Mr. Thompson received a grant from Meet The Composer. His composition and recording credits include recording Graeme Revell's music for the film "Chinese Box", composing and recording music for the Columbia Tristar film "Love Walked In" and co-writing the score for an independent feature entitled "Dogs: The Rise and Fall Of An All Girl Bookie Joint" by Eve Annenberg.

A former faculty member of the Brooklyn Conservatory, Mr. Thompson is currently Assistant Professor of Music at San Diego State University where he teaches jazz piano, jazz performance and history.  He earned his undergraduate degree in music at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, his Masters Degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey and a jazz diploma at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.