Louise Thomas

Headliner musicians like Elizabeth Pitcairn and her Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius are used to having their names splashed across posters and billboards, but the performers who collaborate with them are not to be overlooked.
Pitcairn’s musical partner, Irish-born pianist Louise Thomas, is an accomplished and highly sought-after soloist herself. She has performed extensively at renowned concert halls throughout Europe, North America and Asia.
After completing undergraduate studies at Trinity College, Dublin, Thomas received a German Government scholarship to continue piano performance studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, Germany. She earned a Konzertdiplom in the solo piano class, then went on to win the Béla Bartók Prize at the Ibla-Ragusa competition in Sicily. She later received her doctorate in piano performance from the University of Southern California, where she won the concerto competition and performed with Maestro Sergiu Comissiona.
A dynamic collaborative pianist, Dr. Thomas has made CD recordings in Germany and Canada as part of the Schwetzinger Festspielen chamber music festival and the Banff Center for the Arts with Irish contemporary music group, Nua Nós. In addition recording for Irish National Television, as well as LA’s acclaimed Jaracanda Series and the nationally distributed Ovation Arts Channel, she has appeared on numerous live radio broadcasts for Irish Radio, BBC Radio Northern Ireland, and Moscow radio.
Throughout her professional career, Dr. Thomas has been invited onto the faculty of several prestigious summer programs, including the Luzerne International Music Festival in New York State. Dr. Thomas joined Chapman University in 2001 and was named associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Performing Arts.
High Desert Chamber Music’s 10th Anniversary season opening night features Louise Thomas performing live in Bend at the Tower Theatre with Elizabeth Pitcairn and the Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius on Saturday, October 7 at 7:30pm.
Tickets available at www.HighDesertChamberMusic.com