Jacob Thompson began playing the cello in his hometown of Owensboro, KY at age 11 and shortly thereafter made his solo debut at age 16 with the Owensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra. Jacob is also an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Academy and Interlochen Arts Camp, based in northern Michigan. While there, he studied with Crispin Campbell and Astrid Schween of the Juilliard Quartet and was a member of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Jacob then went on to obtain a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory where he studied with Darrett Adkins and later earned a Master’s Degree in Music Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying with Daniel McDonough of the Jupiter Quartet. Jacob has also appeared in masterclasses with many renowned cellists, including Alisa Weilerstein, Amir Eldan, Anthony Elliott, and Alan Harris.
Jacob currently is a member of the Owensboro Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, and Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and is pursuing a Performance Diploma at Indiana University studying with Brandon Vamos.