Sumner Thompson is widely regarded as one of the finest interpreters of concert repertoire of his generation, and performs repertoire ranging from medieval to modern, with special emphasis on the musics of J.S. Bach, Benjamin Britten, and Claudio Monteverdi.
He has appeared in North and South America, Europe, and Asia with Tafelmusik, the Handel & Haydn Society, Blue Heron, Gli Angeli Geneve, L’Harmonie des Saisons, the Boston Early Music Festival, Theatre of Voices, the Hague Philharmonic, the symphonies of Charlotte, Victoria, Memphis, and Indianapolis, Bach Collegium San Diego, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Boston Baroque, Rosa Barocca, and the Portland Baroque Orchestra, among many others.
On the operatic stage he has appeared as Dr. Caius in Vaughan Williams’ “Sir John in Love” with Odyssey Opera, The Count in “Le Nozze di Figaro” with the Commonwealth Opera, the title role in Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” with Contemporary Opera Denmark, and as El Dancairo in “Carmen” with the Cincinnati Opera.
As a bassist and vocalist he has appeared on many projects including the album “In Motian” by avant-garde jazz bassist Andrew Dow, “Dhara” by Evren Ozan, and “Poesia” with Ghost Circle.
He also appears regularly with Singularity, a musicians collective dedicated to the art of improvised live music.
He is also an avid instrument builder, specializing in electric bass guitars.
