Teacher Profile: Chris Thurstone

About Chris Thurstone

Christopher Thurstone started playing the violin at the age of ten. At the age of thirteen, he won first place prize in the NCMTA junior division by performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3.

Christopher has continued to pursue music throughout his education and performed as a soloist with his high school orchestra and the Duke University String School Youth Symphony in 2006. Christopher has performed in numerous summer music festivals including Interlochen, Hot Springs Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, International Violin Symposium at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the International Music Institute and Festival in Maryland. He has also acted as a counselor and soloist at the Duke University Strings School Summer Camp and more recently at the ACT Music Performance Program in Thessaloniki, Greece. Christopher’s principal teachers and influences have been Dr. Christos Galileas, Dr. Fabian Lopez, Dr. Richard Luby, David Updegraff. Dorothy Kitchen, and Stephanie Swisher.

In 2010, Christopher was offered positions in the Durham and Fayetteville Symphony Orchestras and has performed with the China National Orchestra and North Carolina International Orchestra. In addition to music, Christopher’s hobbies include playing racquet sports, golf, billiards, learning new instruments, and freeskating. Christopher received a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a master’s degree in orchestral performance at Georgia State University. He also received an Artist Certificate from GSU. After performing his last concert as the Concertmaster of the GSU Symphony, he now teaches violin, viola, and cello students of all ages and performs with local chamber musicians and orchestras.