Walter Thompson (composer)

Walter Thompson (born May 31, 1952, in West Palm Beach, Florida) is a composer, pianist, saxophonist, percussionist, and educator, also known for creating the multidisciplinary live composing sign language, Soundpainting. Early life The son of a visual artist, Walter Thompson began learning the piano in his early years. At the age of 18, he entered the Berklee School of Music first in the performance program and then in the private study department. Among other things, he studied the Graphic notation of Robert Moran. After receiving a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, he moved to Woodstock where he studied composition and woodwind with Anthony Braxton for 8 years. He also studied percussion with Bob Moses and modern dance and acting with Ruth Ingalls at the Woodstock Playhouse. Thompson also occasionally collaborated with the Creative Music Studio founded by Karl Berger. Soundpainting Soundpainting is a multi-disciplinary live-composing sign language for varied kinds of artists (musicians, actors, dancers, visual artists…). In the summer of 1974, he invited 25 musicians from the Creative Music Studio and 7 dancers from the Woodstock Playhouse to gather and form a multi