Thomas Stumpf

MM, New England Conservatory, 1977, Artist Diploma, 1980
BA, Mozarteum University of Salzburg, Austria, 1972

Thomas Stumpf's career as a solo and collaborative pianist has spanned four continents, and he is featured on seven CDs. In 2017 Albany Records released his 2-CD solo album, Reflections on Time and Mortality. His repertoire ranges from Mozart (whose complete piano works he performed at Boston University in a series of nine recitals) to contemporary composers (he has given the world premiere of many solo and ensemble works). He has performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler, and numerous other ensembles.

His compositions have appeared on programs throughout the U.S. as well as in Russia and Germany. He won the Kahn Award for his music theater project Dark Lady, one section of which was recorded by Joan Heller for the Albany label.

He was co-founder and Artistic Director of Prism Opera, for which he conducted and directed operas by Britten, Holst, Vaughan-Williams, and Mozart. For twenty-one years he was Director of Music at Follen Church (Unitarian-Universalist) in Lexington MA, where he conducted choral repertoire ranging from Bach's Magnificat to the Sacred Concerts of Duke Ellington. He is also the author of A Sounding Mirror: Courage and Music in Our Time, published by Higganum Hill Books in 2005.

Stumpf has a distinguished career as teacher and lecturer. He has taught at the New England Conservatory, Boston University (where he was Chair of the Collaborative Piano Department) and UMassLowell (where he was Head of the Keyboard Area). He has given master-classes at many colleges and conservatories in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, and Russia.

Recent Recordings

• "Reflections on Time and Mortality" (Albany, 2017)

Books

• A Sounding Mirror: Courage and Music in our Time (Higganum Hill, 2008)

His experience at Follen has led to his first book: a collection of essays entitled "A Sounding Mirror: Courage and Music in our Time," published in 2005 by Higganum Hill Books.