THOMAS GILES
DEVELOPMENT & FINANCE MANAGER (PAST)
Thomas Giles works at the intersection of contemporary performance, improvisation, and interdisciplinary collaborations as a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. To date Giles has premiered more than 200 new works, many of which are dedicated to him. Recent premieres have included works by Marc Mellits, Nicola LeFanu, Jay Schwartz, Philip Venables, Gleb Kanasevich, Joshua Mastel, and Cole Blouin. Giles has enjoyed close working relationships with some of today’s leading composers e.g., Meredith Monk, David Lang, Martin Bresnick, Charles Wuorinen, Mika Pelo, Dan Becker, and the American indie-rock duo Wye Oak.
Giles has played with the London Royal Opera co., New York City Opera orchestra, Opera Parallèle, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (off-Broadway), Metropolis Ensemble, Contemporaneous, New World Symphony, Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, New Thread Quartet, and for 10 years was a member of the San Francisco-based MANA Quartet. He has performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Roulette Intermedium, SFJAZZ, San Francisco Mint, Princeton Sound Kitchen, American Repertory Theater at Harvard, Prototype Festival, Whitney Museum, and internationally at Bachfest Leipzig, Heidelberg Kulturzentrum, Münster Musikhochschule, Szczecin International Saxophone Festival, Utrecht Bartholomeus Gasthuis, and the Citè de la Musique de Strasbourg. As a recording artist, Giles can be heard on the New Amsterdam, Albany, Lakeshore, and Mark recording labels.
As the recipient of a one-year collaborative residency with Danse Theatre Surreality, Giles was invited to co-create a large-scale interdisciplinary work during the 2018-2019 season. The premiere of Giles’ and director/co-creator Lauren Hlubny’s evening-length work, Thoughts & Prayers, won overwhelming praise in a two-week run off-Broadway. Critics called Thoughts & Prayers “a gripping and beautifully executed investigation of the troubles of our times” (Reviews Hub America), “a sensitive recognition of present traumas, a sincere hope for the future, and a heartfelt call to action” (Thinking Theater NYC), and “a masterfully orchestrated conglomeration…a powerhouse of performance” with “poignant music that gives you goosebumps…with moments of drug-inducing calm at some points and adrenaline-powered strength at others” (Broadway World). In addition to composing the music, Giles’ performed a demanding solo role within the production, which included acting and choreography, as well as virtuosic playing.
Giles is on faculty at the Aaron Copland School of Music - Queens College and has previously held teaching positions at SUNY Fredonia, Syracuse University, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He frequently gives masterclasses at institutions across the United States and Europe, including the Manhattan School of Music, Miami’s Frost School of Music, the CUNY Graduate Center, the Hartt School, the Arts Academy of Szczecin, Landesgymnasium für Musik in Dresden, and many others. Giles is a D’Addario Woodwinds Performing Artist and a graduate of the Florida State University (Doctor of Music, 2016). His principal teachers include Timothy McAllister, Lawrence Gwozdz, Patrick Meighan, and in Germany, extensive private study with legendary saxophonist, Carina Raschèr.
For more information visit thomasgilessax.com.
