Performer Biography

Thomas English

Bassoonist Thomas English has performed with several of the most prominent musicians and orchestras across the United States.   Before joining the faculty at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music, Mr. English served as Principal Bassoonist with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra while finishing his graduate degree work at The Juilliard School.  At Juilliard, he had the privilege of studying with Judith LeClair, Principal Bassoon at the New York Philharmonic.  Mr. English also served as mentor for the Juilliard Pre-College Program during his time in New York, working with some of the most talented grade-school musicians in the country.

In 2018, Thomas English was appointed Assistant Principal Bassoon with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., under the direction of Gianandrea Noseda.  He performed with the orchestra through 2019, also teaching at the orchestra’s Summer Music Institute, until he relocated to the Cleveland area.  Besides his formal appointments in Harrisburg and Washington D.C., English has performed as substitute musician with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and as guest principal with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.  He spent multiple summers as a fellow at the Music Academy of the West and the Tanglewood Music Center, as well as a summer at the Round Top Festival Institute.  Besides his orchestral engagements, Mr. English has appeared as soloist on NPR’s From the Top and, as winner of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Side-by-Side concerto competition, performed Hummel’s bassoon concerto with the orchestra in 2011.  Additionally, he won second prize in the International Double Reed Society’s 2013 Young Artist Competition. He has also enjoyed occasional performances with several musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra as part of the bassoon quartet, the Men Who Don’t Bite.

Mr. English completed his Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School and his Bachelor of Music degree at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of George Sakakeeny.  English’s other teachers include Douglas Spaniol of Butler University, and Kara Stolle, Principal Bassoon of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.  A staunch believer in the spiritual power of music, Mr. English hopes to connect, inspire, and uplift others through his musical endeavors, creating a more loving, empathetic, and caring world in which everyone can thrive.