معرفی
Augusta Read Thomas (born 1964) serves as University Professor of Composition at the University of Chicago, appointed in the Division of the Arts and Humanities and The College. She concurrently directs the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition and maintains an active international career as a composer. Her works are performed globally by leading orchestras under renowned conductors including Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim.
Education:
- Attended Northwestern University, initially as trumpet performance major before switching to composition
- Graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London (elected Associate seven years post-graduation, Fellow in 2004)
Thomas specializes in contemporary composition across orchestral, chamber, and operatic genres. Her work is characterized as 'nuanced, majestic, elegant, capricious, lyrical, and colorful,' emphasizing instrumental sonorities and innovative structures. She actively champions new music through commissions and community engagement, with particular focus on expanding critical appreciation of contemporary symphonic works.
Major honors include Pulitzer Prize finalist (2007), Grammy Award winner, and dual membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters (where she serves as Vice President for Music) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Additional distinctions:
- CHEVALIER of Monaco's Order of Cultural Merit (2015)
- Lancaster Symphony Orchestra's Composer Award (2015-16)
- Chicagoan of the Year (2016)
- Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple NEA awards
Thomas maintains extensive commissioning relationships with major institutions including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Santa Fe Opera. She serves on boards of the Aaron Copland Fund, Koussevitzky Foundation, and Alice M. Ditson Fund, and founded the University of Chicago's Grossman Ensemble which has commissioned 107 world premieres. Her community leadership includes former board chairmanship of the American Music Center (2005-2008).
The Grossman Ensemble, established under her direction, represents a significant contemporary music initiative that debuted at the Library of Congress in 2025 after surpassing 107 commissioned premieres. Thomas also directs the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition, fostering new music creation and performance within the university and broader community.
