Fred Thomas
"A boundary-blurring composer and improviser" – Gramophone Magazine
Fred Thomas is one of London’s most sought after multi-instrumentalists and composer/arrangers, known for his breadth of musical styles as well as for specialising in creative re-interpretations of J.S. Bach.
Having started to play classical piano at the age of five, Thomas went on to study jazz piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, where he developed an interest in rhythmic cultures from Africa and Latin America, free improvisation, contemporary classical, improvised counterpoint and Baroque music, in particular Bach. He works regularly as Musical Director with the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe and teaches at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
Thomas’s first appearance on ECM Records was in 2020 as pianist/drummer on Elina Duni’s Lost Ships. [...]
"A boundary-blurring composer and improviser" – Gramophone Magazine
Fred Thomas is one of London’s most sought after multi-instrumentalists and composer/arrangers, known for his breadth of musical styles as well as for specialising in creative re-interpretations of J.S. Bach.
Having started to play classical piano at the age of five, Thomas went on to study jazz piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, where he developed an interest in rhythmic cultures from Africa and Latin America, free improvisation, contemporary classical, improvised counterpoint and Baroque music, in particular Bach. He works regularly as Musical Director with the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe and teaches at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
Thomas’s first appearance on ECM Records was in 2020 as pianist/drummer on Elina Duni’s Lost Ships. His debut album as leader, in 2021, was also his first on the New Series imprint: Three or One is an album of 24 pieces by J.S. Bach transcribed by Thomas for solo piano and piano trio. The quality of the interpretations was lauded by critics worldwide, with the album described as “a revelation” (Apple Music), “mesmerising” (BBC Music Magazine) and “a world of soulful dreaming that enraptures with its poetic images” (Das Bach Magazin).
In 2024, Thomas is joined by long-time collaborators Alice Zawadzki and Misha Mullov-Abbado for Za Górami, an album encompassing folk song, chamber music, improvisation and acoustic jazz.
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| YEAR | DATE | Artist | VENUE | LOCATION | |
| 2026 | March 05 |
Alice Zawadzki / Fred Thomas / Misha Mullov-Abbado
"Za Górami" |
Sheffield Jazz | Sheffield, United Kingdom | Event |
| 2026 | March 07 |
Alice Zawadzki / Fred Thomas / Misha Mullov-Abbado
"Za Górami" |
Stapleford Granary Arts Center | Cambridge, United Kingdom | Event |
| 2026 | March 20 |
Alice Zawadzki / Fred Thomas / Misha Mullov-Abbado
"Za Górami" |
Barnes Music Festival | London, United Kingdom | Event |
| 2026 | October 04 |
Alice Zawadzki / Fred Thomas / Misha Mullov-Abbado
"Za Górami" |
Opera House- Utzon Room | Sydney, Australia | Event |
| 2026 | October 08 |
Alice Zawadzki / Fred Thomas / Misha Mullov-Abbado
"Za Górami" |
David Li Sound Gallery | Melbourne, Australia | Event |