Thomas Dunn (musician)

Thomas Dunn (born December 21, 1925) is an American musician and music editor known for his performances of Baroque music. He is considered an important figure in the development of the modern Early Music Revival and Historically informed performance in the United States.

He was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota and was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. His musical and academic studies were at Johns Hopkins University, the Peabody Conservatory, Harvard University, and the Amsterdam Conservatory. His organ and harpsichord teachers were Charles Courboin, Virgil Fox, E. Power Biggs, and Ernest White, and Gustav Leonhardt; his conducting teachers were Robert Shaw, G. Wallace Woodworth, Ifor Jones, and Anthon van der Horst.

In the 1950’s he was a music director for several churches in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. He succeeded Arthur Mendel and Alfred Mann as director of New York’s Cantata Singers in 1959, gaining notice for its presentations of larger works by Handel and Rameau. That same year he created the Festival Orchestra of New York (disbanded in 1969). Concerts of works by Bach and Handel at Carnegie Hall in the early 1960’s furthered his reputation as a conductor of Baroque music.This activity led to his appointment as Music Director of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, a post he held until 1986. Under his leadership, the organization went from a volunteer oratorio society to a fully professional early music ensemble.

Many of his editions of choral music are published by EC Schirmer in Boston, where he was Editor-in-Chief in the 1970s. He has held several faculty appointments at music schools in the USA, including Boston University, Stanford University, and most recently at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington. He is now retired, and has turned his attention to writing and composing.

References

*GroveOnline|Dunn, Thomas (Burt)|Steinberg, Michael|9 August|2007
*Citation
last = Hall
first = Tom
title = Thomas Dunn at 75: reflections on a varied career
journal = Choral Journal
volume = 42
pages = 23–32
date = October 2001
year = 2001

External links

* [http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Dunn-Thomas.htm More on Thomas Dunn] , includes an early photo and other information