Director of Choral Activities, Associate Professor of Music
B.S. Music Education, Indiana Wesleyan University; M.M. Choral Conducting, Michigan State University
Bryce Thompson serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Columbia International University. Professor Thompson joined the faculty at CIU in 2019 after building a top-tier choir program in Lake Orion, MI. Thompson is committed to music making at the highest level while developing a culture in which his students value the process, value the product, and value each other. Thompson’s students strive for musical excellence by applying attention to detail and by internalizing the music they perform in order to create heartfelt performances. His choirs have frequently been chosen to be featured by the American Choral Directors Association and the Michigan Schools Vocal Music Association. Professor Thompson seeks out opportunities to collaborate with modern composers and other choir programs. Choirs under his direction have sang at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers and at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the Detroit Pistons. Some of his favorite musical experiences have come from leading groups in beautiful cathedrals and churches all over the country and in Europe. Some of the most notable are St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, the Wilten Basilica in Innsbruck, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. John the Divine in NYC, and the Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, MO. His choirs have also performed on stage with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and on another occasion with Grammy winning artist, Eric Church.
An exciting clinician, Professor Thompson specializes in improving personal musicianship, dynamic singing, expansion of tonal color, and vocal energy when working with choirs of all ages. In addition to teaching high school choral music, he has taught elementary general music, middle school choir and secondary band. Professor Thompson holds a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with dual emphases of Choral and Instrumental Music from Indiana Wesleyan University. He served as the Assistant Conductor of the Indiana Wesleyan University Chorale under Dr. Todd Guy. Thompson has studied choral conducting with Dr. Todd Guy at Indiana Wesleyan University, Dr. David Rayl and Dr. Jonathan Reed at Michigan State University as well as Dr. Jerry Blackstone, Dr. Mary Hopper, Dr. Eugene Rogers, and Dr. Julie Skadsem at The University of Michigan.
When not conducting, Thompson enjoys playing sports, photography, camping, riding his motorcycle, traveling, and spending time with his beautiful family. His wife, Jenna, and five young children, Micah, Liam, Elijah, Theodore, and Eleanor inspire him to be the best man possible while bringing him immeasurable joy.