Laura Thomas is a conductor, arranger, composer, percussionist and teacher. She is the Associate Conductor of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of Niagara based chamber choir, Choralis Camerata. She is also Music Director of the Niagara Youth Orchestra and the Hamilton/Niagara area WomEnchant Chorus. She is the percussion instructor in the Music Department of Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of the Fine and Performing Arts.
Her guest conducting appearances include the Huronia Symphony, Etobicoke Philharmonic, the North York Concert Orchestra, Niagara-on-the-Lake Sinfonia and the Bard Chamber Orchestra. She was for many years, Director of the Niagara College Jazz Band. Ms. Thomas holds a Master of Fine Arts in Conducting from New York’s prestigious Bard College, where she studied with Harold Farberman. She is also a graduate of Hamilton’s Mohawk College and McMaster University, where she studied percussion and composition.
Niagara Symphony audiences have known Ms. Thomas as Principal Percussionist with the NSO since 1985. She has performed with many ensembles throughout Southern Ontario and Western New York, including the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Te Deum Orchestra, and the Aradia Ensemble. She is a member of Niagara’s popular eclectic folk quintet BroadBand, and performs regularly with her Vintage Jazz ensembles.
Her recording credits include the Aradia Ensemble’s CD for Naxos Records, “Ballet Music for the Sun King”, the Niagara College Jazz Band’s “On the Move”, Rich Blend’s self titled CD, sisterLune’s “Wonder”, and BroadBand’s “LIVE at the Black Sea Hall” and “BroadBand”.
Timpani