10/06/2026
Be sure to join us for our Fall 2026 concert, "Where Flowers Sing!"
Meet Brian Thompson, who joins us on oboe!
"Brian Thompson studied oboe and English horn with Sara Funkhouser and Laura Reynolds. He performs with several regional orchestras, including the Mill Valley Philharmonic, the College of Marin Symphony Orchestra, the Sonoma County Philharmonic, the Lucas Valley Chamber Orchestra (LVCO), and the ECHO Chamber Orchestra. Over the last dozen years, he has performed Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe, Allan Stephenson’s Concerto for English Horn, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, and Mozart’s Concerto for Oboe with different regional orchestras.
Although oboe is Brian’s main musical passion, vocal music has also figured prominently. Before moving from Pennsylvania, he was the choir conductor of the Berkshire Chorale and of the Reform Congregation Oheb Shalom Choir and was a bass vocal soloist and singer with the Reading Choral Society. His talents even extend to percussion; for several concerts he performed on timpani with the LVCO!
Brian grew up in the Kansas City metropolitan area in a family of other dedicated amateur musicians. His mother was a pianist, his father a cellist, and his sister a violinist. They frequently performed chamber music at various community locations (church or retirement home). Besides propagating his love of music, playing music together was a major bond with the rest of his family. He continues making music a family event by playing with his wife, Mimi Braverman (a flutist), in several orchestras (including MVP) and chamber music groups.
For professional life, Brian received degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a professor of Chemical Engineering (University of Kansas) and later a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at several semiconductor companies (Lucent Technologies, Agere, and Legerity). He is now the co-founder, President, and Chief Risk Officer of Alambic Investment Management LP."
