Interview with Gordon Thompson

Gordon Thompson came to Skidmore in 1988 and retired in 2018. In those years he served as a member and then chair of the Music Department and director of the Asian Studies Program. He played an instrumental role in establishing the long-term success of the Asian Studies Program and in attracting world-renowned Indian musicians to perform on campus. He added to the curriculum with a range of courses on ethnomusicology and, first in the then-Regents College program in London and later in the campus curriculum, multiple courses on British pop and The Beatles. This led to launching of Beatlemore Skidmania, a tremendously popular musical concert of Beatles music performed primarily by students, as well as some faculty and staff which raised substantial funds for Skidmore Cares. Gordon served on multiple committees, including CEPP. In this interview he discusses his development as an ethnomusicologist and the evolution of the curriculum in the Music Department.