Mark Thompson Director of Loyalist Lessons

Mark Thompson is a passionate music educator dedicated to promoting growth in individual
artistic endeavours. Achieving communication with performers and facilitating artistic growth in
the individual are his lifelong goals.
He is in demand internationally as a clinician and adjudicator, including the Glenn
Gould Professional School.He has adjudicated woodwind,brass and chamber music at many
festivals across Canada and the United States, including provincial finals in Ontario,

New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia as well as the MTNA National finals in
New York City. He has adjudicated over 100 music festivals in the past 20 years.
Mark Thompson studied at The University of Toronto, Indiana University, and The Mannes
College of Music in New York. In 1994, he became the first Canadian clarinetist to win first
prize in the Artists' International Competition subsequently giving his New York debut at Weill
Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Since then, he has enjoyed a diverse musical career spanning
from recording for the CBC and BBC to being heard on various jingles and the Disney Channel.
From 1996-2016  he was Artistic Director of Clearly Classic Concerts in Dundas, Ontario in the capacity as conductor,performer and developer of numerous projects including,   
Nimmons 'n Braid, and Marjan Mozetichs' 'Angels in Flight'. The Clearly Classic Education
programs that he founded brought classical and jazz music to hundreds of children in the
Greater Toronto area.He created one of the first joint music and art programs in the Toronto
area.

He has performed with many of Canada's orchestras, including the Toronto
Symphony and has performed and toured with internationally known ensembles Quartetto
Gelato and The Penderecki String Quartet.
He has performed at the Arizona Music Festival and also performed as soloist with the Sioux City Iowa Symphony with conductor Ryan Haskins. His CD release 'Blue Skies' with  has been heard
extensively on CBC and National Public Radio. As a teacher several of his students have
become RCM Gold medal winners.
As senior examiner for the Royal Conservatory he has been involved in conducting evaluations
in both Canada and the United States. He has also served as a mentor to apprentice
examiners. Just before the pandemic struck, he mentored apprentices and conducted
evaluations in Los Angeles.As senior examiner he continues to evaluate and
encourage students from all over North America.