Neil Thompson

Every musician has a fire within them to excite an audience, and nothing does that better than chamber music.

I’ve been playing with Omega Ensemble for eight years, and yet, with every project, there is always something new and challenging. No two days are the same.

Performing with the Ensemble has taken me across the country, and I’ve met so many amazing people and collaborators along the way. It’s continually exciting to discover the different ways our performances and music can really impact people.

This past year alone, we’ve worked with so many exciting collaborators, like William Barton, Lou Bennett, Brenda Gifford, Caroline Shaw, Christopher Cerrone and Nico Muhly, to name only a few. It is humbling to be trusted with their stories, and a great privilege to bring them to life.

There is a genuine spirit of collaboration that filters through every aspect of the way the Ensemble runs, between the musicians and the supportive management team. We are a close-knit family, and everyone offers their individual best. We adapt according to what's required with each project, and sometimes that pushes us outside of our comfort zones.

But there’s nothing to be gained in playing it safe. You see it in the audience reactions. People don’t always realise how music can make them feel something so immediate until it’s experienced live. Whether it’s music written a century ago or fresh from the composer’s pen, in the moment, it’s all new and exciting. It’s what makes every performance unforgettable. 

As a musician, there are so many pathways your career can take you. But being part of Omega Ensemble is one of the best jobs there is.