Chris Thompson, Baritone
Chris Thompson is a highly sought after soloist with a rich and versatile voice. He spans the range of musical styles from opera to musical theater, rock and roll to spirituals. He is one of the Rogue Valley Chorale’s favorite guest artists and has performed in numerous concerts on the Craterian stage.
Described as a “supremely nuanced” (Gramophone) and a “remarkable baritone” (Opera News), Chris Thompson is an international artist noted for compelling performances on stage and in the concert hall. He has performed leading lyric baritone roles ranging from Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia to the title role in Elijah to Carl Magnus in A Little Night Music. Chris returns to the Rogue Valley after previous performances with the Rogue Valley Chorale (Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Rogue Valley Opera (The Barber of Seville, Don Pasquale, and The Merry Widow).
A strong advocate of new music, Chris made his Carnegie Hall debut singing Posh, a song cycle by composer Mohammed Fairouz and played Daniel Keane in the Off-Broadway musical Fermat’s Last Tango at NYC’s York Theatre. His performances have been featured on recording labels such as: Naxos, Original Cast Recordings, Albany Records, Koch-Schwann, and Novana Records.
Chris is a graduate of the University of Kansas, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Loyola University in New Orleans (where he was Lynn Sjolund’s graduate assistant), and Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Chris is a devoted teacher with successful singers winning competitions, singing at major summer programs, and performing leading roles as young professionals. He serves as Professor of Music (Voice) at Missouri State University.