John Thomas is the coordinator of Woodwind Studies, director of Casper College Jazz Ensemble I, and the executive director of the Casper College Kinser Jazz Festival.
He earned a B.M. in Jazz Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed a double M.M. in Jazz Studies and Saxophone Performance at East Carolina University. His major teachers include Craig Whittaker, Jeff Bair, and Andrew Dahlke. He has diverse career as a performer, including appearances with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Glen Miller Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Carroll V. Dashiell, and the Colorado Jazz Orchestra. He has premiered new works for solo saxophone and saxophone quartet in both the classical and jazz genres on both the national and international stage.
Mr. Thomas has been invited to perform at the 2004 and 2008 North American Saxophone Alliance national conferences. Most recently, he was invited to the 15th World Saxophone Congress at Mahidol University in Thailand, where he premiered Hyperrag, a new work for solo saxophone by Martha Callison Horst. Active in the field of chamber music, Mr. Thomas is a founding member of the Intersection Quartet, a saxophone quartet dedicated to the concept of performing in the concert and jazz idioms with equal artistry. As a student at UNC, Mr. Thomas was a featured soloist with the award winning UNC Jazz Lab Band I, backing up such artists as Bob Mintzer, Kevin Mahogany, and Slide Hampton. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in saxophone performance and jazz pedagogy at the University of Northern Colorado. Mr. Thomas has previously held teaching positions at East Carolina University, the University of Northern Colorado, and Colorado Christian University.
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