Jesse Thompson is a third-year violin fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, he has appeared with a wide range of orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Wheeling Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Jacksonville Symphony.

An active participant in summer festivals, Thompson has attended New England Music Camp, Philadelphia International Music Festival, Sunflower Music Festival, and Buzzards Bay Musicfest, where he further developed his orchestral and chamber music experience.

Thompson has performed in masterclasses with distinguished concertmasters David Kim and Noah Bendix-Balgley. At the New World Symphony, he has served as concertmaster under the direction of Stéphane Denève, Domingo Hindoyan, Joshua Gersen, and Leonidas Kavakos, with whom he performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4. He has also performed under the batons of Michael Tilson-Thomas, Manfred Honeck, Rafael Payare, Cristian Măcelaru, JoAnn Falletta, and Xian Zhang, among others.

Thompson studied for eight and a half years at Duquesne University with Charles and Rachel Stegeman, earning his Bachelor’s degree, Artist Diploma, and Master’s degree in violin performance. Prior to Duquesne, he studied with Kenneth Sarch, former concertmaster of the Williamsport Symphony.

Outside of music, Jesse enjoys learning Spanish, cooking, exploring new restaurants, playing pickleball, and spending time at the beach.