Thomas Piercy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Piercy (born 1957) is an American clarinetist. Although raised in the United States, his playing style is heavily influenced by the English school of clarinet playing by his extensive studies with English clarinet virtuoso Gervase De Peyer and his English parents.
He has been cited by the New York Times for his performances of classical music by Brahms and Beethoven as well as contemporary pieces written specifically for him.
He has performed and premiered many contemporary pieces written for him, including Grammy Award winning and Pulitzer Prize winning American composer Ned Rorem's only piece for clarinet and piano. He premiered this piece - "Four Colors" - at an 80th birthday concert celebration for Rorem at Carnegie Hall in 2003.
In addition to being a performer of classical and contemporary music, as a teacher he has contributed to books on clarinet studies and clarinet fingerings. He performs on rare rosewood clarinets hand made for him by Luis Rossi.
He studied clarinet, voice and acting at Virginia Commonwealth University, Shenandoah Conservatory, Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School. He studied clarinet in New York City with Gervase De Peyer and noted American teachers Leon Russianoff and Kalmen Opperman.
He has performed several times at the International Clarinet Festival, the world's largest annual gathering of noted clarinetists, including a concert in memory of Russianoff in 1991 and a concert of contemporary American music in Japan in 2005.
Thomas Piercy is the clarinetist and artistic director of the Gotham Ensemble.
His discography includes Gotham Ensemble Plays Ned Rorem, a CD of chamber music featuring the clarinet released by Albany Records.
