Thomas Dunford

Thomas Dunford, theorbo

Today, Thomas Dunford is one of the most versatile and sought-after lutenists, both as a soloist and as an ensemble musician. Considered the “Eric Clapton of the lute”, he is renowned for his inventive programming and sensitive ensemble playing. He has given solo recitals in the world’s greatest concert halls, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Washington Kennedy Center and Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica, and has taken part in festivals in Utrecht, Saintes, Nantes, Montpellier and Ambronay, among others. He performs regularly with leading period-instrument ensembles, including Les Arts Florissants, Arcangelo, Les Siecles, Le Concert Spirituel and Collegium Vocale Gent, and counts soloists Iestyn Davies, Isabelle Faust, Anne-Sofie von Otter, Jean Rondeau and Lea Desandre among his principal collaborators, as well as conductors Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, Jonathan Cohen, Trevor Pinnock and Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Thomas’s 22-23 season includes a return to Japan with Lucie Horsch, a U.S. tour with Iestyn Davies and a solo recital tour of Canada. With Ensemble Jupiter, he performs “Eternal Heaven”, their new program of Handel oratorio music, with Lea Desandre and Iestyn Davies, at venues and festivals across Europe.

Thomas founded the period-instrument ensemble Jupiter in 2018. Born of the desire to bring freedom and great creativity to early music, the ensemble includes some of the brightest talents on today’s period-instrument scene. Their first Vivaldi recording received critical acclaim and was followed by “Amazone”, a recording of rare French and Italian arias from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Thomas’s first solo recording, “Lachrimae”, was awarded the Caecilia Prize in 2013, and his subsequent recording, “Labirinto d’Amore”, was awarded the “Choc” prize by Classica magazine. Thomas and Jupiter record for Warner.

Thomas Dunford studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Hopkinson Smith.