Thomas Dunford (born 1988) is a French

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can refe ...

. He is the son of American viola da gambist

Jonathan Dunford Jonathan Dunford (born 30 October 1959 in Trenton, New Jersey) is an American violist specialising in the baroque repertoire. Biography After studying the viol at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Dunford was awarded a scholar ...

and viola da gambist Sylvia Abramowicz. He completed his musical studies in 2006 at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, and earned his bachelor's degree in 2009. He began his performing career as the lutenist in Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night'' on stage at the Comédie Française in 2005 His first solo CD ''Lachrimae'', recorded for the Alpha label in 2012, was awarded the Caecilia prize in 2013. BBC Music Magazine called him the “Eric Clapton of the lute”. His second CD ''Labirinto d’Amore'' was awarded the «Choc» by Classica magazine. He plays with a number of ensembles including Les Arts Florissants, the

Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles The Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (CMBV - ''Centre of Baroque Music Versailles'') is a centre for the study and performance of French Baroque music, based at the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi. It was founded by Philippe Beaussant and Vincent B ...

Le Concert Spirituel Le Concert Spirituel is a French ensemble specialising in works of baroque music, played on period instruments. Founded by Hervé Niquet in 1987, it is named after the 18th-century concert series Concert Spirituel. The group performs internatio ...

, and

Le Concert d'Astrée Le Concert d'Astrée is an instrumental and vocal ensemble dedicated to the performance of Baroque music. It was founded In 2000 by Emmanuelle Haïm, and has been in residence at the Opéra de Lille since 2004 and has established an international r ...

as well as performing solo and with other leading artists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunford, Thomas 1988 births French classical mandolinists French jazz musicians French performers of early music French lutenists Living people