Tom is based in Manchester, UK. He studied Saxophone and composition at the Royal Northern College of Music on the infamous “Joint Course” with University of Manchester. His classical training from Rob Buckland (saxophone), Camden Reeves and Gary Carpenter (composition) continues to inform all of his original work, which blends his distinctive voice as an improviser, with a characteristically genre bending compositional flare that absorbs the language of contemporary classical, popular and jazz styles.
He studied Jazz with Steve Berry and Tim Garland under a scholarship kindly granted by The Kinder Family Trust and with sponsorship from The Royal Society of Musicians.
Tom now works internationally as a performer and composer of Jazz, Classical and Commercial Music. Tom has performed at venues which have included The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Exchange Theatre, Colston Hall, Glastonbury Festival, King’s Place London, Band on the Wall, The Royal Philharmonic Hall and the world famous 100 Club as well as for various TV/Radio platforms. His professional life involves work in a variety of disciplines such as session touring and studio work, theatre pit work, multi-instrumental positions and original jazz projects. He accepts commissions from Classical performers for new works, as well as composing for commercial briefs including Film/TV and arranging.
Tom has been shortlisted for several awards including The Presteigne Festival Composer’s Competition, The John Dankworth Prize and Peter Whittingam Jazz Award. He was awarded an RNCM Gold Medal for Improvisation in 2012 and was runner up in the 2016 Taichung International Saxophone Competition. In October 2017 he was winner of the Best Instrumental soloist award at the Johnny Raducanu International Jazz Festival in Romania.
2023 saw Tom embark on his first tour of Australia, playing at some of the country’s best known jazz venues, visiting Sydney, Newcastle, Cairns and Perth.
His quintet ILUMETRIS release their album Here, There be Monsters… on AMP Records in 2024.
2024 also saw Tom make his first recording at the legendary Maida Vale studios, when he was commissioned to write and perform a piece with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Listen to Tom’s piece, specially commissioned for Radio 3
Tom is a passionate educator and has been Saxophone Tutor/lecturer in Jazz Improvisation at The University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University for 10 years. He has given several public masterclasses at Bath Spa University, Salford University, Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts, UWA Conservatory of Music (Perth, AUS) and University of Liverpool.
Tom is available as a private instrumental Tutor, please use the contacts page to make enquiries.
BMus (Hons) 2:1 – University of Manchester
GRNCM 1st – Royal Northern College of Music
PgDip (dist) – Royal Northern College of Music
