Thomas Jones — Minister of Music
Thomas Jones has a career spanning more than 30 years as a performer and appears with orchestras, opera companies, choral ensembles, pops concerts and on recital series throughout North America, Europe and the West Indies. Critics from coast to coast have hailed his performances as elegant, passionate, expressive and sensitive. Richard Buell of The Boston Globe calls the vocal and stage presence of Thomas Jones "irresistible". Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times proclaims that Mr. Jones sings "with plush sounds and musical vigor".
Mr. Jones’ solo appearances include The Santa Fe Symphony, The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Boston's Handel & Haydn Society, The Apollo Chorus of Chicago, The San Francisco City Chorus and Orchestra, The Vancouver Chamber Choir and The Canadian Broadcast Orchestra, The Phoenix Bach Choir, The Phoenix Chamber Orchestra, The Dessoff Choirs of New York City, New York's St. Cecilia Orchestra, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, The Omaha Symphony, The Pacific Chorale and The Pacific Symphony in Southern California, The Battle Creek Symphony (Michigan), The Billings Symphony (Montana),The Louisville Bach Society at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, The Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra of Washington, DC, The Simon Sinfonietta of Washington, DC., The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic Orchestra, The Bucks County Choral Society and The Philadelphia Festive Arts Orchestra under conductor Robert Page.
Thomas Jones has sung on recital series coast to coast in the USA and in the cities of Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen among others.
Festival appearances include Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Berkshire Choral Festival, The Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, Great Waters Music Festival, Monadnock Music and Hotchkiss Portals Series. Opera companies include Boston Lyric Opera, The Harrisburg Opera Company of Pennsylvania and Opera New England. In metropolitan Boston, appearances include The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Boston Civic Orchestra, The Back Bay Chorale, Coro Allegro, The Cape Cod Symphony, The Worcester Symphony, The Nashua Symphony, The Providence Singers, New England Classical Singers, The Monadnock Chorus and The Masterworks Chorale.
Mr. Jones has soloed with well over 150 choruses throughout The USA, appearing under the baton of notable maestros such as Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, Roger Norrington, Thomas Dunn, John Alexander, Jon Washburn, Daniel Beckwith, Joel Revzen, Robert Page, Jung-Ho Pak, John Oliver, William Gray, Stephen Simon, Tom Hall and Gerald Mack. And, he has premiered new works by composers such as Libby Larson, Dave Brubeck, John Goodman and others. Contemporary pops concerts have recently been an added dimension to his 25 year career. Those series feature music from the American Songbook and a vast array of musical theater composers. Recordings include Handel “Messiah” for National Public Radio and Handel “Samson” with the Canadian Broadcast Orchestra and the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
Thomas Jones was a semifinalist in the International Bel Canto Foundation Vocal Competition and a semifinalist in the New York Oratorio Competition. His theater experiences range from summer stock companies in multiple roles from Gershwin to Sondheim. In addition, Mr. Jones is an accomplished voice teacher and choral clinician, having conducted vocal master classes and choral clinics throughout the United States at colleges, high schools and for community, church and professional choruses. He has adjudicated at dozens of solo competitions and choral festivals throughout the country. Thomas Jones has been teaching voice through the Office for the Arts at Harvard University for 25 years. He also served as vocal coach for Harvard University’s “Hasty Pudding Theatricals” for 10 years and is the voice clinician for the Harvard Freshman Arts Program.
Thomas Jones became Director of Music at Old Cambridge Baptist Church in 2002. Under his direction, the choir has recorded a CD entitled “Total Praise”. Members of the choir have had the unique privilege of singing in various locations in Europe in the past five years. In the summer of 2010, they sang at several historic Biblical sites in Turkey and Greece , including Ephesus, Corinth and ancient Pergamum. In 2013, they traveled to Italy and in 2015, Portugal and Spain. In June of 2011, the choir sang the morning Pentecost Service at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Experienced singers interested in singing with The Choir of Old Cambridge Baptist Church can contact Thomas Jones at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The choir sings an eclectic balance of repertoire that reflects the conjunction of the arts in worship while bringing to bear peace and justice concerns.