Thomson, (John Smith) Bryden (‘Jack’) (1928–91), conductor, was born 26 July 1928 in Ayr, Scotland. He was educated in Ayr Academy, and then at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow, where he won many prizes. In 1954 he gained a scholarship to study conducting with Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Hamburg, and with Igor Markevitch at the Mozarteum, Salzburg.
After an initial career as a music teacher in Ayr and Glasgow, Thomson became assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Orchestra in 1958, taking over a large number of engagements when Ian Whyte, founder and principal conductor of the orchestra, fell terminally ill. Subsequently he was conductor of the Royal Ballet (1962–4), the Norwegian Opera in Oslo (1964), Stora Teatern, Göteborg, Sweden (1965), and the Royal Opera, Stockholm (1966). During this time he developed a lifelong interest in Scandinavian repertoire. In 1966 he was appointed associate conductor of the Scottish National Orchestra, and in 1968 became principal conductor of the BBC Northern Orchestra (subsequently the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra), a post he held for five years. This was the first in a series of such posts with major orchestras in Britain and Ireland over the next two decades: he was music director of the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast (1977–85) and principal conductor of the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra (1978–83). From 1984 to 1987 he was principal conductor of the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra (later the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra) in Dublin. Finally he was music director of the (Royal) Scottish National Orchestra from 1988 to 1991. At the time of his death he was in negotiation for a second term with the RTÉNSO. He was also principal guest conductor of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (1977), and his guest conducting engagements took him to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Australia. In the recording studio Thomson had a long association with the Chandos label, making over fifty recordings. Most notable were the complete symphonies of Arnold Bax (qv), Walton, and Elgar (with the London Philharmonic Orchestra), Vaughan Williams (with the London Symphony Orchestra), and Nielsen and Martinú (with the Scottish National Orchestra). He was particularly renowned for his interpretations of British and Irish composers (his extensive recording legacy also includes music by Arnold, Finzi, Hamilton Harty (qv), Hoddinott, Ireland, and Leighton), Scandinavian repertoire, and twentieth-century music in general.
During his tenure in Dublin he conducted all Bruckner's symphonies to great critical acclaim, and with the BBC Welsh Orchestra all twelve symphonies by Daniel Jones. He was a fine orchestral trainer, as can be seen by his success with the BBC Northern Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, and the RTÉSO in particular. He was an exceptionally sympathetic concerto accompanist and was well known to television audiences as conductor of the BBC's ‘Young Musician’ competition for a decade. B.Mus. Dunelm, Dip.Mus.Ed. (Hons), RSAM, LRAM, ARCM, and FRSAMD, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the New University of Ulster (1984), and in 1985 won an award from the Scottish Society of Composers for his services to contemporary Scottish music. Though having a fiery temperament and a reputation for being peppery, he was held in great esteem by orchestral players and colleagues in the profession. In such spare time as he had, he was a golfing enthusiast.
He married (1955) Beth McKill and they had two sons, Mark and Julian; he later married Mary Ellison, cellist and one of Dublin's best loved piano teachers. He died in Dublin 14 November 1991. The symphony no. 2, ‘In memoriam Bryden Thomson’, by the Glasgow-born composer John Maxwell Geddes, was performed shortly after his death. In 2003 his widow presented to the NLI a large collection of material (c. 700 items) relating to his life and work, including annotated orchestral scores, books on music, publishers' catalogues and other miscellanea, which is now held as the Bryden Thomson collection.