CLIFF THOMPSON

In his thirty plus years of playing, Maryland based trumpeter Cliff Thompson has honed his skills as a lead player. By giving great attention to the mechanics of trumpet playing, he has developed the embouchure and the lung capacity to play from below the staff to double C with support and flexibility.

Cliff is the Musical Director for the Upper Chesapeake Community Band. The UCCB has been in operation for over twenty years serving the musical community in the upper eastern shore of MD.

He served as Director of Bands at Tri-State Christian Academy 2007 to 2017, where he was responsible for instrumental music instruction from fourth grade through high school. He has also worked with various high school marching band programs over the past twenty plus years. Most recently he was Assistant Director of the Elkton High School Marching Band, which earned the USSBA Group 1A MD State Championship. Hehas also served as Brass Instructor for the Rising Sun High School Marching Band located in Rising Sun MD.

In addition Cliff has been an on-call trumpet player for various theater productions where he has played in the pit for shows such as West Side Story,The Music Man, big.Guys and Dolls, as well as the entire Rodgers and Hammerstein collection.

Cliff has directed and played for The Jim Dudley Memorial Big Band, a group formed in tribute to one of his former jazz band directors.

As a privet teacher, many of his students have been selected to various All-County Bands as well as the Maryland All-State Jazz Band. Cliff is also a clinician focusing on embouchure development, as well as working with middle and high school trumpet sections.

Cliff currently serves as an Event Selection Advisor for Worldstrides Onstage.

Cliff plays on a Holton ST307S MF Horn trumpet and a Leblanc F357S flugelhorn.