Lutenist
Thomas Dunford discovered the lute at the age of 9 and studied with Claire Antonini, Hopkinson Smith and Paul O’Dette amongst others.
He made his stage debut in 2003 as the lutenist in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Comédie-Française, and since then Thomas has appeared in recital at prestigious venues: Carnegie Hall and the Frick Collection, where he is in residence in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Kennedy Center in Washington, Vancouver Recital Society, Cal Performances at Berkeley, BanT Center, Palau de la Música in Barcelona, Concertgebouw Bruges and Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Vienna, as well as numerous international festivals: Saintes, Utrecht, La Chaise-Dieu, Maguelone, Froville, TAP Poitiers, WDR Cologne, Radio France Montpellier, SaTron Hall, Ambronay, Arques-la-Bataille, Bozar, La Folle Journée de Nantes, Bachfest Leipzig, among others, performing in over 30 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
A multi-instrumentalist (lute, guitar, plucked strings, keyboard), singer, composer, and conductor, Thomas Dunford is drawn to a wide variety of musical genres, including classical, jazz, and contemporary music.
His international career regularly leads him to collaborate with prestigious ensembles: A 2 Violes Esgales, Akadêmia, Amarillis,
Arcangelo, Les Ambassadeurs, Les Arts Florissants, Capriccio Stravagante, La Capella Mediterranea, Le Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, La Chapelle Rhénane, Clématis, Collegium Vocale Gent, Le Concert d’Astrée, Le Concert Spirituel, Constellations, Dunedin Consort, The English Baroque Soloists, The English Concert, Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, La Fenice, Les Folies Françaises, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Marsyas, Monteverdi Choir, Les Musiciens de Saint Julien, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Musiciens du Paradis, Les Ombres, Pierre Robert, Pygmalion, La Sainte Folie Fantastique, Scherzi Musicali, La Serenissima, Les Siècles, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, La Symphonie du Marais.
He collaborates with renowned soloists and artists: Paul Agnew, Nicolas Alstaedt, Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, Cecilia Bartoli, Nicola Benedetti, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Keyvan Chemirani, William Christie, Jonathan Cohen, Christophe Coin, Iestyn Davies, Lea Desandre, Gérard Depardieu, Sabine Devieilhe, Joyce DiDonato, Isabelle Faust, John Eliot Gardiner, Emmanuelle Haïm, Philippe Herreweghe, Lucie Horsch, Monica Hugget, Alexis Kosenko, François Lazarévitch, Bobby McFerrin, Anne-Sophie von Otter, Trevor Pinnock, Patricia Petibon, Sandrine Piau, Anna Prohaska, Hugo Reyne, Anna Reinhold, Jean Rondeau, Jordi Savall, Skip Sempé, Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Jean Tubéry.
His extensive discography includes: Lachrimae (Alpha, 2012), unanimously acclaimed, Prix Caecilia 2013, BBC Music Magazine calling him “the Eric Clapton of the lute,” Labirinto d’Amore (Alpha, 2014), Choc de Classica, Bach Suites for Lute (2018), Gramophone Editor’s Choice and Choc de Classica, and the EP The Other Side, featuring his original compositions blending baroque, jazz, and pop influences. His collaborations include 30 various recordings.
He records and tours regularly as a soloist as well as with Jupiter in its various forms, chamber music, orchestra, and choir, offering a
wide spectrum from baroque to classical, jazz, pop, and original creations.
In 2018, at 30 years old, Thomas founded his ensemble Jupiter with mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre as a key partner, along with soloists met during his tours. The ensemble explores baroque repertoire and beyond in various formats: chamber music, orchestra, choir, and groups with jazz and pop influences.
Jupiter has released several acclaimed albums: Vivaldi (2019), Amazone (2021), Handel – Eternal Heaven (2022), and Songs of Passion (2025), centered on Dowland and Purcell, all recipients of numerous awards: Choc de Classica, Prix Caecilia, Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Opéra Magazine Diamond Award, France Musique Choice, among others.
With Jupiter, Thomas develops innovative projects: creation of the Jupiter choir and orchestra for Theodora (2025), the musical theater project Chasing Rainbows (2023), and Jupiter’s pop incarnation blending jazz, classical, and original compositions (The Other Side).
In 2024, he becomes assistant conductor to Sir John Eliot Gardiner for the launch of his new ensemble Constellations.
Jupiter performs worldwide in the most prestigious concert halls and festivals: Philharmonie de Paris, Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Auditorium de Radio France, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Festival de Pâques Aix-en-Provence, BOZAR, Palau de la Música Barcelona…
The Times: “The best lute player since Dowland himself,”
BBC Music Magazine: “A true Eric Clapton of the lute,”
Gramophone: “an enviously intelligent, inventive and generous ensemble,
” The New York Times: “The young early-music ensemble Jupiter made a delightful debut.”
Thomas Dunford Website
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Photo credit: Eric Nehr