Jennifer Thomas (born June 23, 1977) is an American pianist, violinist, composer, performing artist, and recording artist. She was classically trained starting at the age of 5, and began composing in 2003, later releasing her debut album in 2007. Thomas has issued six albums, the latest, ''

The Fire Within ''The Fire Within'' (french: Le Feu follet , meaning "The Manic Fire" or "Will-o'-the-Wisp") is a 1963 drama film written and directed by Louis Malle, based on the 1931 novel ''Will O' the Wisp'' by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, which itself was in ...

'', was released in October 2018, and debuted at number 3 in the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

charts, number 2 in their Classical

Crossover music Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differi ...

charts, and number 25 in the

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

. Several of her original compositions and arrangements have been used in routines by

International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Net ...

Ice skaters at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

and by

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

gymnasts Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

. Thomas's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

video recordings have achieved a total of over 10 million views, with over 1.7 million viewing a live concert performance of her arrangement of "Carol of the Bells" from her 2015 Christmas album,

Winter Symphony Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

. This performance was in December 2015 at

Benaroya Hall Benaroya Hall is the home of the Seattle Symphony in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. It features two auditoria, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, a 2500-seat performance venue, as well as the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital H ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, with the Ensign Symphony & Chorus.

Early life

Thomas was born in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. She got her first toy piano at the age of 3 and began formal lessons on both the piano and violin at the age of 5, under the tutelage of her mother, Carolyn Southworth. Her brothers also learned piano, violin, and cello from their mother. Jennifer and her older brother played in grade school orchestras, with Southworth as a conductor's assistant. Thomas continued to train classically and was involved in many recitals and piano adjudications through her teen years. She played with various youth orchestras and high school orchestras. She performed at her high school graduation, and later went to

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. At Brigham Young University–Idaho, Thomas studied piano under Professor Stephen Allen. She was a member of the university's Piano Ensemble group, accompanied the College choir and many vocal/instrumental students, as well as played violin in the university symphony. Thomas also competed in the University's Concerto Competition, where she took 2nd place performing the

Piano Concerto No. 3 (Prokofiev) Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26, is a piano concerto by Sergei Prokofiev. It was completed in 1921 using sketches first started in 1913. Composition and performances Prokofiev began his work on the concerto as early as 1913 when he wrote ...

. After college graduation, Thomas moved to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, Utah, and was a regular performer with the

Temple Square Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediately ...

Concert Series, and played violin in the

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

Symphony orchestra. While performing with the Murray Symphony, Thomas was a featured soloist on the

Edward MacDowell Edward Alexander MacDowell (December 18, 1860January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist of the late Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites ''Woodland Sketches'', ''Sea Pieces'' and ''Ne ...

Piano Concerto No. 2. She eventually moved to Northwest, where she performed as a violinist with the Oregon Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and worked for the

Seattle Symphony The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera. History Beginnings The orchestra ...

in the Education Department. It was during her time working for the

when she started composing her own original music.

Career

Thomas is known for writing and performing piano-centered orchestral music from

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

crossover music Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differi ...

and cinematic orchestral epic music. While most of her works are original, she also covers classical pieces as well as pop music and movie soundtracks. Thomas has also composed film scores, where she won the Gold Medal of Excellence in the 2011

Park City Film Music Festival The Park City Film Music Festival is a film festival with a special emphasis on film music, which takes place annually in Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into ...

for "Music in a Short Film" as well as a 2012 Hollywood Music in Media Award for "Best Film Score for Documentary/Short". Thomas' third album, ''Illumination'', won "Album of the Year" and "Artist of the Year" at the 2013 IMC Awards. In October 2015 ''Illumination'' also won the "Classical Song of the Year" International Music and Entertainment Association Award, and the Enlightened Piano Radio Award for "Best piano album with instrumentation" at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

New York City – where she performed live at the awards ceremony. ''

'', Thomas' fourth album was released in November 2015. Mixed by five time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winner

Brian Vibberts Brian Vibberts is an American audio engineer, a native of Portland, Connecticut, who has been active since 1991. He is a 7-time Grammy Award winner (6x Grammy, 1 Latin Grammy) and has participated in the making of numerous albums that have resul ...

, contributors included

Glen Gabriel Glen Gabriel is a Swedish composer of films, commercials, and a music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact def ...

Ricky Kej Ricky Kej (born 5 August 1981 - Dhaka, Bangladesh) is a multi-Grammy Award-winning Indian music composer and environmentalist. He has performed at venues in over 30 countries including at the United Nations headquarters in New York and Geneva. ...

and

Taylor Davis (violinist) Taylor Davis (born March 20, 1987) is an American violinist, arranger, and composer. Davis is best known for her violin-covers of music from video games featured on her YouTube channel "Taylor Davis", where she also features performances of her o ...

. Following the album release, Thomas performed concerts at

Atascocita, Texas Atascocita is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 88,174. It is located north and south of Farm to Market Road 1960 about e ...

and the

. The album has received many favorable reviews and during 2016 won several prestigious awards. In March 2017, Thomas arranged an orchestral cover of the

Beauty and the Beast (Disney song) "Beauty and the Beast" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for the Disney animated feature film ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991). The film's theme song, the Broadway-inspired ballad was first recorded by British- ...

featuring cellist Armen Ksajikian to coincide with the release of the

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

and

Mandeville Films Mandeville Films is an American film production company headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1995 by film producer David Hoberman, the company re-formed as Mandeville Films and Television in 2002 after a short hiatus for three years, ...

movie

Beauty and the Beast (2017 film) ''Beauty and the Beast'' is a 2017 American Musical film, musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films, the film is ...

.
During July 2017 Thomas collaborated with

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

J.ournal to produce a double award-winning track and video ''Nine Twelve'', a powerful

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

reminder message, October 2017 saw a 10-year special re-mastered edition of her 2007 album ''Key of Sea''. On 12 October 2018, Thomas widely released a ''

'' charting classical/

cinematic music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

styled album titled ''

'' which she previewed live in concert at

in Seattle. During the winter of 2018 a composition by Thomas, '' A Beautiful Storm'', was used in

ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating (known as ISU Champions Series from 1995 to 1997) is a series of senior international figure skating competitions organized by the International Skating Union. The invitational series was inaugurated in 1995, in ...

gold medal programmes by Rika Kihira from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Following this a partnership was established with Avex Entertainment to promote her album ''Key of Sea'' in Japan Commencing June 19, 2019, Thomas embarked on a well-received summer concert tour of the western United States. During 2019 more ice skating recognition of her music continued when her composition “Illumination” was performed to in a free skate program by American

Alysa Liu Alysa Liu (born August 8, 2005) is a retired American competitive figure skater. Liu is the youngest-ever U.S. women's national champion, having won her first title at age 13. She is also the youngest to win two senior national titles at age 14 ...

to win the

ISU Junior Grand Prix in the United States The ISU Junior Grand Prix in the United States is an international figure skating competition. Sanctioned by the International Skating Union, it is held in the autumn in some years as part of the JGP series. Medals may be awarded in the disciplines ...

Liu / ( or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'kill', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic text ...

retained the title in 2020 skating to the same composition. 2020 also saw Cha Jun-hwan win the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n figure skating championships performing to the Thomas and Kimberly StarKey composition ''

''. In March 2021, Thomas's music was performed in the

2021 World Figure Skating Championships The 2021 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Stockholm, Sweden from March 22–28, 2021. Figure skaters competed for the title of world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition was used to det ...

by Rika Kihira, Cha Jun-hwan and

Alexandra Feigin Alexandra Feigin ( bg, Александра Фейгин; born 22 December 2002) is a Bulgarian figure skater. She is a two-time Sofia Trophy champion (2019, 2020), the 2019 Denkova-Staviski Cup champion, the 2018 Crystal Skate of Romania cham ...

and in April by Rika Kihira for the

ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating The ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating is a figure skating team competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. The World Team Trophy was held for the first time in Tokyo, Japan from April 16 to 19, 2009. Traditionally, the competit ...

. The

, held in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

July 2021, saw her original composition

performed by

Russian Olympic Committee The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC; russian: Олимпийский комитет России (ОКР), Olimpiyskiy komitet Rossii (OKR); Full name: All-Russian united social union "Olympic Committee of Russia", russian: Общероссий� ...

gold medallist

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

Vladislava Urazova Vladislava Sergeyevna Urazova ( rus, Владислава Сергеевна Уразова, , vɫədʲɪˈsɫavə ʊˈrazəvə, born 14 August 2004) is a Russian artistic gymnast. She represented the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2020 Summe ...

and her arrangement of

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

used in a routine by 21st placed finalist

Lee Yun-seo from

. At the

held in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Karen Chen Karen Chen (born August 16, 1999) is an American figure skater. She is a 2022 Olympic Games team event silver medalist, two-time CS U.S. Classic bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, the 2017 U.S. nat ...

representing Team USA ( who won a silver medal) skated to a Jennifer Thomas,

Escala (group) Escala (formerly known as Scala) is an electronic string quartet, from London, England who rose to fame when they performed on and reached the final of the second series of ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV1 in May 2008. Background Two of the ...

and Hugo Choinard mix of "Requiem for a Tower" and "Requiem for a Dream", composed by

Clint Mansell Clinton Darryl Mansell (; born 7 January 1963) is an English musician, singer, and composer, born in Coventry. He served as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of alt-rock band Pop Will Eat Itself before embarking on a career as a film s ...

Personal life

Thomas is married to Will Thomas, an ultra-marathon competitor who, in 2015, competed in the 106-mile race

Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) is a single-stage mountain ultramarathon, first held in 2003, that follows the route of the Tour du Mont Blanc. Since UTMB Group's partnership with IRONMAN Group in 2021, UTMB World Series will formally launch ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Together, they have three children and reside in the

area.

Discography

Albums

All Music Thomas also features on the following albums; Discogs

Awards and nominations

Film and Televised ice skating and gymnastics events coverage

* 2022 Team USA

Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. The five events took place between 4 and 20 February 2022. A total of 144 quota spots were distributed to the sport of figure skating, a decli ...

- 'Requiem for a Tower' and 'Requiem for a Dream', mix, performed by

. * 2021

Gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

- Two works performed,

performed by

and her arrangement of

by Lee Yun-seo * 2021

'The Fire Within' performed by Rika Kihira. * 2021

- Two works performed, 'The Fire Within' by Rika Kihira and Cha Jun-hwan, 'Moonlight' by

. * 2020

South Korean Figure Skating Championships The South Korean Figure Skating Championships ( ko, 한국 피겨스케이팅 선수권 대회) are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of South Korea. Skaters compete in the disciplines of m ...

Senior gold medal won by Cha Jun-hwan to the program of an original Thomas composition The Fire Within (album). * 2020 US Figure Skating Championships gold medal won by

to the program of New World Symphony from the album Illumination composed by Thomas * 2019 2019 ISU Jr Grand Prix Final figure skating gold medal won by

to the program of New World Symphony from the album Illumination composed by Thomas * 2018 2018 NHK Trophy

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

figure skating gold medal won by Rika Kihira to the program of '' A Beautiful Storm'' composed by Thomas * 2017 Film Score "Desert Rose" * 2015

U.S. Figure Skating Championships The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is ofte ...

Hannah Miller Hannah Miller (born October 29, 1996) is an American figure skater. She is the 2014 Ice Challenge champion, 2014 Lombardia Trophy silver medalist, and 2012 JGP Final silver medalist. Personal life Hannah Miller was born in Chicago, Illinoi ...

, Short program * 2014

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

* 2013

Angela Wang Angela Wang (born July 30, 1996) is an American figure skater. She is the 2017 Bavarian Open champion, a three-time medalist on the ISU Challenger Series, and a three-time medalist on the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series. Her JGP medals include ...

JGP Baltic Cup Junior Ladies Short program * 2013 "Running the Edge", directed by Matt Trappe, song placements * 2011 Film score "Minuet", directed and written by Ryan K. McNeal, score by Jennifer Thomas * 2012

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

Sports placements * 2012

NBC Universal The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Sports placements * 2014

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

Equal Justice (TV series) ''Equal Justice'' is an American legal drama television series that aired on ABC from March 27, 1990, to July 3, 1991. This series details on the lives of the district attorney's office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The series stars George DiCenz ...

placements * 2008 "Reasons", Poor Boyz Productions

References

External links

* *
Profile

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Jennifer 1977 births 21st-century American composers 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women pianists 21st-century women composers American film score composers American women film score composers Avex Group artists Brigham Young University alumni Living people Musicians from Seattle