Trina Thompson

Trina Thompson, taught as an assistant professorer in the music department at Andrews University from 2009-2016 and then srved as chair of the department in the 2016/2017 school year. She is a pianist and theorist and a graduate from Walla Walla College.  She previously taught music theory (2000-2002) at Walla Walla College, now University, and served as interim chair of the music department (2001-2002).

A 1998 B.A. graduate with majors in music, humanities, and Spanish, she completed an M.Mus. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Northern Illinois University in 2000 under Donald Walker and a Ph.D. in music theory at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

During her study at IU, she was awarded the Indiana Universitys Chancellors Fellowship and the IU Music Theory Departments Dissertation-Year Fellowship. While at IU, Thompson taught written and aural music theory on both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

A preparatory and undergraduate student of Debra Richter (now Bakland) for twelve years, Thompson won many awards and honors for her playing, including numerous medals in the Spokane Allied Arts Festival. Thompson was a popular student teacher in the piano preparatory program at WWC for seven years and assisted Richter in running the division.

A National Merit Finalist, she placed first in the Scholarship Audition music program for entering freshmen at WWC in 1993. She subsequently was awarded departmental honors scholarships in all of her three majors and was recipient of the 1996 Thomas Hampson Humanities Scholarship Award, the most prestigious award in the humanities at WWC. In her senior year, the music students and faculty at WWC selected her as one of two Outstanding Music Majors of the Year.

ds/2016

Sources: Biography, Andrews University music department (2013); Opus, Walla Walla College music department newsletter, 1998, 5 and 25, and  2000, 22; IAMA Notes, Summer/Autumn 2000, 21, 22; Andrews University Focus, Summer 2009, 13; personal knowledge.