Director Information

Tristan Thompson comes from East Wenatchee, WA, where he has studied music from a young age.  He has created music and supported music programs across the state of Washington reaching from Spokane Valley to Friday Harbor. He has trained and coached young musicians to great success at competitions both individually and as ensembles. Mr. Thompson has also taught private trumpet lessons in the Issaquah area, connecting with families and supporting students at various schools within ISD.

Mr. Thompson studied at Eastern Washington University, graduating with his bachelor's degree in Music Education in 2017 and his master's degree in Conducting in 2020. He has studied under various conducting professors, most recently Dr. Donald Goodwin, Director of the Spokane Jazz Orchestra and previous Director of Bands at EWU. He is also a 2nd generation student of the Bill Adam style of trumpeting, having studied for many years with Mr. Andy Plamondon. Mr. Thompson has played professionally with many ensembles across Washington State, most notably and currently with Washington Wind Symphony and Thalia Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Thompson enjoys playing and coaching tennis, cooking, and outdoor activities. He has an incredibly adorable cat named Abra with whom he is a little too obsessed. Students can expect to get too much information about cooking techniques and an onslaught of cat photos regularly.