Born: 7 January 1958 in London, England.

Thompson was the first female executive of the Association of Professional Composers and teaches Music at the University of Westminster. There, she is also Reader in Composition and Performance. She has served several institutions throughout her career including the London Arts Board, the Arts Council of Great Britain and the Newham Council Cultural Forum.

From 2010 to 2016, she was placed on each of the Evening Standard’s Power List of Britain’s Top 100 Most Influential Black People. She received nomination for the Woman of the Year Award for her contribution to the Arts in 1997.

Her musical compositions cover varying forms and ensembles, including symphonies, concertos, ballets and operas in addition to writing music for film, television and theatre.

Notably, New Nation Rising: a 21^st Century Symphony, a celebration of London’s 1000 history, was performed and recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The piece was originally commissioned for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was assumed as the conceptual framework for the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

She has also conducted a choral commission at Westminster Abbey to commemorate 170 years of the University of Westminster. She has held title of Composer-In-Residence for the Lynn Conservatory where the Lynn Philharmonia gave several orchestral performances of her works. Her award-winning ballet PUSH has been performed at venues including The Marinsky Theatre, the London Coliseum and the Sydney Opera House. The tour has visited over thirty countries.

Thompson composed Emanation for Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Resound, the world’s first professional disabled-led ensemble. The piece reflects on the Independent Living Movement and its impact on the lives of disabled people.