Augusta Read Thomas

Augusta Read Thomas (born April 24, 1964) is an American composer.

Augusta Read Thomas was born in Glen Cove, New York. She attended St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and then studied composition with Jacob Druckman at Yale University and at the Royal Academy of Music with Paul Patterson, as well as with Alan Stout and M. William Karlins at Northwestern University. She taught at the Eastman School of Music and received tenure there at the age of only 33, but left to teach at the Northwestern University School of Music. While she was still at Eastman, she was appointed Composer in Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a post that she retained until 2006, when she was succeeded by Osvaldo Golijov and Mark-Anthony Turnage. In 2006, Thomas resigned from teaching at Northwestern in order to compose exclusively. She is Chair of the Board of the American Music Center.

Thomas's music avoids traditional models, such as sonata form, and traditional styles, such as folk song. One can hear the influence of jazz as well as that of composers such as Luciano Berio in her use of improvisatory-sounding rhythms and colorful harmonies.

An album by Chanticleer containing recordings of her choral pieces, "The Rub of Love" and "Love Songs", won a Grammy.Fact|date=March 2008 Some of her other works include: "Aurora", "Galaxy Dances", "Prayer Bells", "Words of the Sea", "Bells Ring Summer", "Silhouettes", "Purple Syllables", and "Ring Flourish Blaze".

Thomas is married to American composer Bernard Rands.

External links

* [http://www.augustareadthomas.com/ Official Augusta Read Thomas website]