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Brass Area

Thomas Burge, BMus ANU, MM Juilliard (Trombone)
Trombone

T: +61 2 6125 8388
E: Thomas.Burge@anu.edu.au

Thomas Burge was a student of Michael Mulcahy and Ronald Prussing in Australia, and graduated from the Australian National University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Music Degree in trombone performance. In 1994 Thomas received a coveted 'Queens Trust Scholarship' to travel to New York City and studied with Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombonist with the New York Philharmonic. He graduated in 1996 with a Masters in Music from the Julliard School, and following this he performed with the Aspen Festival Orchestra in Colorado. Later that year he began performing as 2nd Trombonist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Florida. In 1997-99 he performed with the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina, and in 1998 was appointed Trombone Instructor at South Carolina State University. Thomas has been Lecturer in Trombone and Euphonium at the Canberra School of Music since July 1999, and Head of the Brass Department since 2001.

As a conductor, Thomas was Musical Director of the Canberra Choral Society from 2002-2003, conductor of the Canberra Youth Music Concert Band 2000-2005, is currently co-director of the CSM Brass Ensemble, conductor of the Canberra Youth Music Wind Symphony, Artistic Director of Hall Village Brass Band, National B Grade Brass Band Champions for 2002, and consecutive National A Grade Eisteddfod Champions from 2002- 2005. Thomas is very active as an ensemble director and an educator and gives band, choral and orchestral classes and clinics on a regular basis, as well as trombone clinics, master classes and recitals throughout Australia.

Thomas was a guest artist at the 1999 International 'Tubamania' Brass Conference, and in 2001 he was a tutor at the Australian Youth Orchestra, National Music Camp, held in Canberra, where he was invited back to be tutor again in 2004. He was a tutor at the YMA 'Young Australian Concert Artists' program held during 2002 in Albury and was invited to be an adjudicator/clinician at the 2002 ACT School Band Festival. Thomas was the main adjudicator and soloist for the NSW School Band Festival in 2003 in Sydney, and gave the world premiere of the work 'Construction Site' written for him by Australian Composer and trombonist, Brendan Collins. Thomas is the reigning National Open Trombone Champion (2004-2005), and also 2004 State Open Trombone Champion. He appeared as soloist and conductor in November 2003 in Willoughby Town Hall with Willoughby Municipal Band. He was a guest artist at the ANU School of Music National Tuba Camp in Winter 2004, and appeared as soloist with Canberra Youth Music Wind Symphony and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He is currently preparing to record his first solo CD, and has recently performed the Ewazen Sonata in Canberra with Eric Ewazen at the piano, and the Australian premiere in Canberra of Eric Ewazen's Trombone Concerto, 'Visions of Light'. He is a guest artist at the 2005 Melbourne International Festival of Brass and will return to the USA in November as visiting guest artist at Marist College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he will also perform the De Meij trombone concerto with the Marist College Wind Ensemble. He has performed extensively in Australia, the United States, Japan and Europe.

School of Music faculty member since 1999.