Thomas Ades – American Composer

Thomas Ades has had an extraordinary first two decades as a composer. His orchestral piece Asyla, with its combination of primal power, rhythmic intensity and melodic invention is considered one of the modern musical classics.

University of Chicago composer Augusta Read Thomas (Gusty) has become adept at explaining the process of composition to others, serving as an ardent advocate for contemporary classical music while helping shape future composers.

Early Life and Education

Thomas was born in Seattle to a musician mother and photographer father, where she began taking piano lessons at age five and quickly found herself fascinated with its versatility; being able to perform music from any era or genre quickly drawn her in, as did joining both piano ensemble and symphony orchestra performances at her school.

Alfred Newman, one of Hollywood’s iconic film composers, recognized her talents and encouraged her to become a professional composer. Additionally, she has taught composition and music theory to advanced students at several colleges and universities including USC.

She holds various recording credits and created the series Keeping Score on contemporary American composers’ music. Most recently she completed LIGEIA: the chamber opera inspired by Poe’s short story.

Professional Career

Thomas is a professional composer who collaborates with filmmakers, directors, artists and musicians throughout the US – having collaborated with Sting and Lenny Kravitz among others.

He boasts an expansive and growing body of work. Nominated for 15 Academy Awards but never winning one; and multiple Grammy Award nominations as well.

Thomas has collaborated with directors such as Sam Mendes, Andrew Stanton and Brad Silberling. His film scores include those based on books by Sammy Davis Jr., Erin Brockovich and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events; additionally his scores for Shawshank Redemption and Little Women have garnered critical acclaim and earned two Grammy awards; in addition Thomas maintains a busy schedule teaching flute and saxophone lessons!

Achievement and Honors

Thomas has participated as a composition fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic National Composers Intensive as well as in Aspen Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Conference, Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival, School with Eighth Blackbird and Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. Additionally he was composer-in-residence at MacDowell Colony Yaddo Virginia Center for the Arts Djerassi Foundation.

As well, Thomas served as Mead Composer-in-Residence to Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1997 through 2006; during which his Astral Canticle was one of two finalists for Pulitzer Prize in Music 2007. Thomas holds an appointment as University Professor of Composition at The University of Chicago.

He is also an accomplished pianist, commissioning and premiering numerous new piano works himself and with other artists. He has performed across America and Europe.

Personal Life

Thomas is an enthusiastic proponent of music education and regularly conducts workshops for high school-age composers. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors at American Music Center and teaches at Tanglewood.

She is also a prominent proponent of Black Experience, commissioning Caribana as a piece of music in memory of Charleston Church shooting victims and Carnival parades on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn – something Thomas has long done since she was young.

Thomas has written film scores for numerous award-winning productions, such as The Player, Shawshank Redemption, Erin Brockovich’s Road to Perdition and White Oleander – Finding Nemo Cinderella Man The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel WALL-E and James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre plus 1917 being among his notable works.

Net Worth

Thomas Newman is an American composer who has made considerable gains through his professional composing career. Among his notable works is scoring the movie Return of the Jedi; additionally, Newman has composed music for commercials and television shows.

He has been nominated for several awards for Best Original Film Score, most notably American Beauty, Road to Perdition and Finding Nemo scores. Additionally he has composed for Cinderella Man, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and WALL-E.

He is an esteemed artist with a large following on TikTok and other social media platforms, estimated net worth estimated around $3 Million with lavish lifestyle and cars as part of his arsenal.