Thomas Weaver

Thomas Weaver is a pianist, composer, and conductor currently on faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Weaver began his musical training at the age of eight, first appearing in public performance at the age of nine. Weaver holds a strong belief that his eclectic career has helped to mold him as a well-rounded musician, equally at home on the stage and as an educator.

A sought after pianist, Weaver has appeared in major concert halls throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, with frequent appearances in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Tanglewood Music Festival. He has been presented by organizations including Carnegie Hall Presents, La Jolla Music Society, Princeton University Concerts, New York Philharmonic Ensembles Series, New York Chamber Music Festival, Astral Artists, Artcinia, and Red Rocks Music Festival. Weaver has appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Curtis Institute’s 20/21 Ensemble, Alea III, Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra and Young Artists Wind Ensemble, collaborating with notable conductors such as Bruce Kiesling and H. Robert Reynolds. An active chamber musician, Weaver has performed with eminent musicians such as Jess Gillam, Anthony McGill, Elmira Darvarova, Brittany Lasch, Gene Pokorny, Kenneth Radnofsky, Jennifer Frautschi, and members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Weaver is currently a member of the Amram Ensemble. As a strong proponent of new music, Weaver has given the premiere of numerous compositions, including works by David Amram, Reena Esmail, Anthony Plog, David Loeb, John H. Wallace, Christopher LaRosa, Alistair Coleman, and Francine Trester. His recordings can be heard on albums released by Affetto Records, including music by Hungarian composers for violin and piano, music by Astor Piazzolla, and music by David Amram.

An award-winning composer, Weaver’s music has been heard across four continents, in cities such as Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Dallas (United States), Berlin (Germany), Vienna (Austria), Itami (Japan), and Sydney (Australia). Weaver’s compositional voice blends the world between neo-Romanticism and modernism, bringing a strong sense of flexibility and rubato to highly chromatic, motivically-based music. His works have been commissioned by organizations and musicians including New York Chamber Music Festival, Penn Museum, Boston University College of Fine Arts (in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the School of Music), Pharos Quartet, Daraja Ensemble, Alea III, Marian Anderson Historical Society, Kenneth Radnofsky, Brittany Lasch, and Joshua Blumenthal. Weaver’s works have been performed by large ensembles including Alea III, Boston University Symphony Orchestra, and Mannes American Composers Orchestra. Weaver was the recipient of the Bohuslav Martinu Composition Award. As an arranger, Weaver’s work has appeared on albums released by Affetto Records and his arrangements have been performed throughout the United States.

As a conductor, Weaver has led performances in Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. Weaver formerly served as the music director of the Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society, regularly leading performances in collaboration with operatic voices. Weaver’s work as music director has included work in both classical repertoire and work in other musical styles, including frequent jazz performances. Weaver has appeared as a guest conductor at the Boston University Festival of the Arts.

An active educator, Weaver serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and Boston University Tanglewood Institute. As a member of Curtis’s Musical Studies faculty, Weaver teaches courses in harmony, counterpoint, analysis, keyboard harmony, score-reading, orchestration, and composition, in addition to frequent performances as a pianist. At Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Weaver has taught theory electives, coached instrumentalists, and started the Collaborative Piano Fellowship, which offers training experience to pianists interested in pursuing careers focused on collaboration. Weaver has given lectures and master classes at places including Northwestern University, University of Central Florida, Murray State University, Austin Peay State University, People’s Music School, and Cunningham Piano. Weaver has also served on juries for various competitions, including the Soloist of New England Young Soloists Competition, Rowan University String Ensemble Concerto Competition, and International Fringe Association Online Competition.

Weaver’s primary piano teachers include Anthony di Bonaventura, Victor Rosenbaum, and Pavel Nersessian. His primary composition teachers have included John H. Wallace, David Loeb, Martin Amlin, and Jonathan Coopersmith, in addition to supplementary studies with Gunther Schuller, Samuel Adler, and Theodore Antoniou. His conducting teachers have included Emily Freeman Brown and Michael Charry.