B I O G R A P H Y
Dr. Jason Thomas is a person of a few titles (Pianist, Teacher, Web Designer, Bible Student, etc.). He is kind and friendly, and a big fan of Jesus Christ.
The Pianist
Dr. Jason Thomas is a virtuoso pianist with a big heart and a large repertoire. Although Jason has the rare ability to be able to play anything, he specializes in Classical and Gospel music. Jason is a well-trained pianist who has achieved his Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctor of Music degrees from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music (MSM), where he was a scholarship student.
Jason has a long list of piano teachers which includes Nina Svetlanova, Carol Ann Aicher, Shou-Ping Chiu, Barry Goldsmith, Carlos Juris, Hyun Mee Kim, Emmanuel Krasovsky, Antti Siirala, Eric T. Tawaststjerna, and Lauri Väinmaa. Jason has also performed in masterclasses with accomplished musicians such as Seymour Bernstein and Barry Snyder.
Jason has an active performing career and has performed in various venues ranging from New York City to Suolahti, Finland. Some venues that he has performed in include the 92nd Street Y, Brooklyn/Queens Conservatory of Music (New York, NY), Flushing Library (Flushing, NY), Manhattan School of Music, including Greenfield Hall, Mikowsky Hall, Myers Recording Studio, and Pforzheimer Hall (New York, NY), Queens Borough Community College (Bayside, NY), and Suolahtisali, (Suolahti, Finland).
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Dr. Thomas has also given masterclasses at MSM, as well as performed Lecture-Recitals, including a Lecture-Recital on the music of George Walker for Rutgers University.
Throughout his career, Dr. Thomas has received many awards and compliments on his performances. Some of his awards include a stipend received from the Suolahti International Music Festival, in which he was asked to return and give a concert. Other awards include the Elizabeth Voitle Tucker Honorary Award, which he received from the Brooklyn/Queens Conservatory of Music for outstanding achievement in music study.
Jason is also a recording artist and currently has 2 CDs available for purchase, The Dream and The Gift.
The Teacher
Jason is a very optimistic person because of his faith and what he has accomplished through it. Would you believe he started learning to play the piano at almost 15 years of age? Jason is a believer that if he can do good things, anyone can. In addition to performing, Jason teaches and has over 15 years of experience teaching the piano. The age of his students ranges from 4 years to 80+. He has seen many amazing things including students being accepted to great music schools and win various competitions. But he is most amazed by how some students that thought they could never play, learned to play extremely well.
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In his career, Jason has taught many students of all levels, ranging from beginners to Master's students at MSM in masterclasses. During his studies at MSM, Jason was a Professor of Required Piano, as well as a Doctoral Fellow for the Center of Music Entrepreneurship where he assisted students in Career Development.
Strings 'n' Harmony
Jason is one half of the group called Strings 'n' Harmony. The group is a duo featuring Michael Bent who plays the cello. Jason and Michael often perform their arrangements of Hymns and Gospel songs at many different churches. They have been featured on the 3 Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN) performing their works. The Gift Gospel CD is their first album out together.
The Christian
Jason is a big fan of Jesus Christ. He is currently a member of The Elmont Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church where he serves as an Elder and assistant pianist. He loves to study the Bible and share what he has learned. Jason is also a choir director at his church and occasionally preaches.