Augusta Read Thomas (1964)

Augusta Read Thomas

Augusta Read Thomas is an American composer and professor.

Augusta Thomas studied composition at the Tanglewood Music Center and at Yale University, Northwestern University, and the Royal Academy of Music in London. She was a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for many years. Thomas was also composer-in-residence with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Augusta Read Thomas is Professor of College Composition at the University of Chicago, In 2016, she founded that university's Center for Contemporary Composition, which provides a dynamic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment for the creation, performance, and study of new music, as well as career development for emerging and established composers and performers.

One of Thomas' best-known works is Astral Song for solo flute, solo violin and orchestra. Her most recent works include the opera Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun (2019), and she has also written numerous orchestral and choral works, concertos, and solo compositions. Augusta Read Thomas is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is considered the best-known contemporary American composer.