Adrian Thomas
Encyclopedia
Adrian Thomas is Professor of Music at Cardiff University School of Music
. He specializes in Polish Music
.
, and after his return to Queen’s University he became the Hamilton Harty Professor of Music in 1985. He held this position until 1996, when he took up his role at Cardiff University. He retired in 2010.
In addition to this, in 1983, 1986 and 1987, he held composition fellowships at the MacDowell Colony
in New Hampshire. Between 2003 and 2006, Thomas was the Professor of Music
at Gresham College
in London.
and contemporary music ensembles such as Lontano
. In the 1980s he had several compositions broadcast by BBC Radio 3
, including a commission for the BBC Singers
, Black Rainbow (1989). In 1990-93 he was seconded by Queen’s University to the BBC, to become the Head of Music for BBC Radio 3, where, in 1993, he initiated the music and arts festival, Polska!, a nationwide celebration of Polish music and culture.
Between 2003 and 2006, as Gresham Professor of Music, Thomas delivered series of public lectures on Polish and Central European music. He was subsequently elected a Fellow of Gresham College (2006–09).
He has served on public committees and boards at the Arts Councils in Northern Ireland and Wales and on the Research Panel for the Performing Arts at the Arts and Humanities Research Board (2000–03).
(2000–01).
He founded and is the director of the Cardiff University School of Music
's Central European Music Research Centre (CEMRC). For his 2002 book, Górecki, Thomas received the Wilk Book Prize for Research in Polish Music. He has received awards from the Polish Composers' Union (1989), the Polish Government (Order of Merit for Polish Culture, 1996) and the Lutoslawski Society in Warsaw (2005).
Cardiff University School of Music
Cardiff University School of Music is home to about 240 undergraduate and 40 postgraduate students. It was one of the first departments established when Cardiff University was granted its Royal Charter in 1883. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 70% of the School’s research was judged to be...
. He specializes in Polish Music
Music of Poland
Artists from Poland, including famous composers like Chopin or Lutosławski and traditional, regionalized folk musicians, create a lively and diverse music scene, which even recognizes its own music genres, such as poezja śpiewana.- Beginning :...
.
Academic career
Thomas began his professional career at Queen's University Belfast in 1973. Between 1983 and 1984, he was a Visiting Fellow at University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, and after his return to Queen’s University he became the Hamilton Harty Professor of Music in 1985. He held this position until 1996, when he took up his role at Cardiff University. He retired in 2010.
In addition to this, in 1983, 1986 and 1987, he held composition fellowships at the MacDowell Colony
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
in New Hampshire. Between 2003 and 2006, Thomas was the Professor of Music
Gresham Professor of Music
The Professor of Music at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596 / 7, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to eight and in addition the college now has visiting professors.The Professor...
at Gresham College
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
in London.
Public career
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Thomas conducted concerts with the Ulster OrchestraUlster Orchestra
The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
and contemporary music ensembles such as Lontano
Odaline de la Martinez
Odaline de la Martinez is a Cuban-American composer and conductor, currently residing in the UK. She is the artistic director of , a London-based contemporary music ensemble which she co-founded in 1976 with New Zealander flautist , and was the first woman to conduct at the BBC Promenade Concerts ...
. In the 1980s he had several compositions broadcast by BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
, including a commission for the BBC Singers
BBC Singers
The BBC Singers are the professional chamber choir of the BBC. As one of six BBC Performing Groups, the 24-voiced choir has been in existence for more than 80 years. The BBC Singers have commissioned and premiered works by the leading composers of the past century, including Benjamin Britten, Sir...
, Black Rainbow (1989). In 1990-93 he was seconded by Queen’s University to the BBC, to become the Head of Music for BBC Radio 3, where, in 1993, he initiated the music and arts festival, Polska!, a nationwide celebration of Polish music and culture.
Between 2003 and 2006, as Gresham Professor of Music, Thomas delivered series of public lectures on Polish and Central European music. He was subsequently elected a Fellow of Gresham College (2006–09).
He has served on public committees and boards at the Arts Councils in Northern Ireland and Wales and on the Research Panel for the Performing Arts at the Arts and Humanities Research Board (2000–03).
Academic Interests
Adrian Thomas is a world-renowned specialist on Polish music and has published widely on the topic. He has given research papers, public talks and broadcasts in Europe, the USA and Australia. He is the author of over fifty entries on twentieth-century Polish music in the Second Edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansGrove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, it is the largest single reference work on Western music. The dictionary has gone through several editions since the 19th century...
(2000–01).
He founded and is the director of the Cardiff University School of Music
Cardiff University School of Music
Cardiff University School of Music is home to about 240 undergraduate and 40 postgraduate students. It was one of the first departments established when Cardiff University was granted its Royal Charter in 1883. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 70% of the School’s research was judged to be...
's Central European Music Research Centre (CEMRC). For his 2002 book, Górecki, Thomas received the Wilk Book Prize for Research in Polish Music. He has received awards from the Polish Composers' Union (1989), the Polish Government (Order of Merit for Polish Culture, 1996) and the Lutoslawski Society in Warsaw (2005).
Books
- Witold Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto (Ashgate, in preparation, ISBN 978-0-7546-1958-1
- Polish Music since Szymanowski (Cambridge: CUP, 2005 ISBN 978-0-511-07402-8)
- Górecki (Oxford: OUP, 1997, ISBN 0-19-816393-2)
- Bacewicz: Chamber and Orchestral Music (Los Angeles: USC, 1985, ISBN 0-916545-03-2)