Jim Smithson began his music career in 1972 as the New River Valley Symphony Orchestra’s pianist and harpsichordist. Shortly thereafter, he received a B.S. in Mathematics with minors in Music and Physics and a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in French from Virginia Tech University. From 1977-1979, he attended Virginia Commonwealth University’s graduate program in Statistics, supporting his career as a Banking Analyst and Vice President of Suntrust/Truist Bank for 40 years. During that time, Smithson continued to foster his love of music. For 25 years, he was the pianist for the chamber music group, “The Windsor Trio”.  Since the mid-70s, Smithson also fostered his talents and growing interests as a dance accompaniment. In the early years, he served as an accompanist for Virginia Ballet Theater, Dance Limited and occasionally at VCU. Since the mid-80s, he has been a longstanding accompanist for the Richmond Ballet and in more recent years, Smithson is the Staff Accompanist for the University of Richmond’s Department of Theater and Dance.