David Thies-Thompson

David Thies-Thompson, conductor

Violist, violinist, and conductor David Thies-Thompson has been a member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1990.

His formative teachers included Sydney Humphreys, Mauricio Fuks, and Stuart Knussen for intensive orchestral studies. He received diplomas from the Victoria Conservatory of Music (Victoria, B.C.) and the Royal Conservatory of Music, furthering his studies at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Banff Centre, the Eastman School of Music, and McGill University.

His professional orchestral life began at the age of 15 with the Victoria Symphony, followed by two seasons with Symphony Nova Scotia. In 2008, after 18 years in NACO’s violin section, David felt the lure of the viola section. Since taking up the viola, David is incredibly fortunate to have been invited on numerous occasions to play as a guest violist with the Berlin Philharmonic. He is an active chamber musician, currently exploring piano trio repertoire with the Oxbow Trio, and has performed as a collaborative musician in festivals in the National Capital Region and across Canada.

As a conductor, David served as Music Director of the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra for 14 seasons, conducted the NACO Players Association FanFair concerts for many years, and has enjoyed a long affiliation with the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy. As an instructor, David teaches privately and has taught at both of Ottawa’s universities and with the NAC Young Artists and International Orchestral Studies programmes. He has also given masterclasses for violinists and violists on NAC Orchestra tours across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the U.K., Europe, and China.