Shirley J. Thompson – Favourite Things
Each week Reaction Weekend brings you Favourite Things – interviews with interesting people about the skills, hobbies, pleasures and past times that make them who they are.
Shirley J. Thompson OBE is a composer, conductor and violinist. As a composer she has worked on symphonies, ballets, operas, concertos and on music for television, film and theatre. Thompson is the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years, she was awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to music. She is currently a Professor of Music at the University of Westminster.
These are a few of Shirley J. Thompson’s favourite things.
Jamaican beaches
I am very lucky because my parents live in the Caribbean, in Jamaica. So when I can I spend a lot of time swimming and looking out on the infinite Caribbean Sea. It is absolutely stunning. My ideal day at the beach is sitting there watching the sea surrounded by the smells and sounds of people frying fish and making Jamaican bammy, which is a dense almost soda bread made from ground cassava with coconut milk.
Watching tennis
I can trace my enjoyment of tennis back to Arthur Ashe, watching him is how I became a complete convert. We watched as a family when he beat Jimmy Connor’s in 1974 and ever since then I have watched Wimbledon and all the Opens every year. It was Arthur Ashe and then Althea Gibson, who was from very humble beginnings and went on to win Wimbledon, who were my champions. Then, Venus and now Serena Williams. I watch more than I play, I am a fair-weather player.
Foreign Cinema
I studied film making and nowadays I am watching a lot of Netflix. I am really into South Korean and Turkish film and television at the moment, it gives me an insight into the culture. A Lebanese friend of mine recommended Turkish cinema last Christmas, I didn’t even realise they had a big film industry. I have always watched foreign films, Italian, French, there is a lot of Spanish cinema on Netflix. Netflix has really allowed me to immerse myself in foreign culture. I like family comedy, Turkish cinema does that well.
Forests
I am from Stratford in East London and I think because of that I have always loved the trees and forests. I am very lucky to have been born and brought up in London, it is the best city in the world. But because I was born there, growing up I thought it was a dump and always tried to get out to the countryside. I still live in the middle of the East End, so whenever I can I escape the concrete jungle. My idea of relaxing is going out into a forest somewhere to be surrounded by trees. I live about twenty minutes from Epping Forest, so my treat is to go there on a Sunday afternoon, it is really nice. I love to walk in forests.
Pilates
I do an online Pilates class every morning to get my day started. I do it on YouTube and it gives me a lot of energy. I used to go to Danceworks in the West End and I just thought one day I would see what is online instead and now with covid it has become a regular thing. My morning routine is to do the Pilates class and then play the piano and violin for a little while.