A recital presented by Dr. Benjamin Vasko (tuba) and Thomas Weaver (piano).
Andrea Clearfield - Hvati
Thomas Weaver - Sonata for Tuba and Piano
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Jacob Thiede - When All Else Fails (Take Your Time)
Libby Larsen - Ursa
Thomas Weaver is an American pianist and composer currently on the Musical Studies faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and on faculty at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. He began his piano studies at the age of eight, giving his first public performance and starting to compose at the age of nine.
Thomas Weaver maintains an active solo and chamber career that has included performances in the United States, Europe and Asia. His playing has been hailed as displaying both “sensitivity” and “incredible dexterity.” Weaver has appeared in many concert halls, including those in New York (Carnegie Hall, Greene Space, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall), Philadelphia, Washington D.C. (Phillips Collection), Boston (Jordan Hall), Chicago, Nashville, Dallas, Berlin (Germany), Itami (Japan), the Tanglewood Music Festival, Red Rocks Music Festival, New York Chamber Music Festival and others. Weaver has performed with a number of eminent musicians including Elmira Darvarova, Jess Gillam, Kenneth Radnofsky, Jennifer Frautschi, Gene Pokorny, and members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and others. Weaver is a currently a member of the Amram Ensemble, Trio Ardente and New England Chamber Players, in addition to serving as the music director of the Marian Anderson Historical Society.
A champion of new music, Weaver has premiered many pieces, including works by David Amram, David Loeb, Anthony Plog, John Wallace, and Christopher LaRosa. In 2018, Weaver was featured performing Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 Age of Anxiety with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Orchestra as part of Leonard Bernstein’s centennial celebration. His playing can be heard on the CDs, David Amram: “So In America” and Astor Piazzolla: Genius of Tango, released by Affetto Records, both of which include world premiere recordings and arrangements.
An award-winning composer, Thomas Weaver’s music has been performed throughout the United States, Germany, Austria and Japan. His works have been commissioned by number of organizations and musicians including the New York Chamber Music Festival, Elmira Darvarova, Dr. Brittany Lasch, Pharos Quartet, Kenneth Radnofsky, Dr. Joshua Blumenthal, Thomas Weston and the Daraja Ensemble. Weaver’s works have also been performed by large ensembles such as the Boston University Symphony Orchestra, Alea III and Mannes American Composers Orchestra. His works have been conducted by various conductors including Theodore Antoniou, Alan Pierson and Konstantin Dobroykov. Weaver’s compositions have won numerous awards and competitions, including the Bohuslav Martinu Award and Boston University Composition Competition. His extensive collection of horn works has been analyzed in Dr. Joshua Blumenthal’s dissertation, A Performer’s Approach to the Horn Solo and Chamber Music of Thomas E. Weaver.
Weaver is on faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he teaches Core Studies (harmony, counterpoint and analysis), Advanced Counterpoint, Score Reading, Keyboard Studies, and Supplementary Piano. At the Boston University Tanglewood Institute he serves as theory instructor and instrumental coach. He holds a master of music degree in both piano performance and composition from Mannes College, and a bachelor of music degree, summa cum laude, from Boston University. His primary piano teachers include Anthony di Bonaventura, Victor Rosenbaum and Pavel Nersessian. His primary composition instructors include David Loeb, Dr. John Wallace, Dr. Martin Amlin and Jonathan Coopersmith.