Shirley Thomson is a Glasgow-born, language graduate who started a career in the Arts in 1990 after periods as an intern at the Chambre de Commerce de Paris, and an English language teacher in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet.
Firstly joining the team of the European Community Youth Orchestra (now EUYO), she gained invaluable experience undertaking numerous tours of the Nordics, Baltics, Russia and Central Europe with such esteemed conductors and soloists as Claudio Abbado, Carlo Maria Giulini, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Viktoria Mullova, Karita Mattila and Evgeny Kissin. A subsequent move into Artist Management started a journey which began as Assistant to the Directors of Vocal at IMG Artists to her position today as Director of Vocal and Opera at HarrisonParrott. Mentored by the late Diana Mulgan and Tom Graham, Shirley Thomson worked for many years under their guidance for a broad range of artists with diverse careers combining Lieder, Oratorio, Baroque or Grand Opera.
A decade ago, she joined HarrisonParrott as Director of Vocal and Opera with the remit to expand the company’s small Vocal department. In the intervening years, HarrisonParrott Vocal has grown more than fivefold and today holds a strong international reputation for the exceptional quality of its singers as well as the integrity of its management style with the nurturing of young talent and long-term collaborations at its heart.
