Augusta Read Thomas

August Read Thomas’ music is nuanced, majestic, elegant, capricious, and colorful – “it is boldly considered music that celebrates the sound of instruments and reaffirms the vitality of orchestral music.”(Philadelphia Inquirer)

Her works were featured on a Grammy-winning CD, her impressive works embody unbridled passion and fierce poetry.  The New Yorker called her “a true virtuoso composer.” Critic Edward Reichel wrote, “Thomas has secured for herself a permanent place in the pantheon of American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. She is, without question, one of the best and most important composers that this country has today. Her music has substance, depth, and a sense of purpose. She has a lot to say and knows how to say it —and in a way that is intelligent yet appealing and sophisticated.”

Thomas, one of two Pulitzer Finalists in 2007, won the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, among many other coveted awards. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Named the 2016 Chicagoan of the Year, Thomas has an extensive and deeply committed history as a model citizen of the profession. A brief summary of her citizenship energies can be found in the Collaborative Efforts section on the About page on her website. She invents, responds, collaborates, explores, shares and demonstrates by her unwavering actions that she cares deeply about other artists.