Biography
Thomas Stevens was appointed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1965 by then music director, Zubin Mehta, who named him principal trumpet in 1972, a position he held until 1999. He served in the same capacity with the "World Orchestra for Peace," Sir George Solti's hand-picked group assembled in Geneva for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, and the Casals Festival Orchestra in Puerto Rico. The Los Angeles appointment was preceded by a stint in the U.S. Army as solo trumpeter with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point followed by a one year engagement with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his work as an orchestral musician, Mr.Stevens has performed and recorded as a soloist and chamber musician with major organizations, worldwide, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and during the early 1980s he was invited by Pierre Boulez to participate in a special new brass music project with L'Ensemble Contemporain in Paris. He was a founding member of the Los Angeles Brass Quintet and also maintained an active presence in the Hollywood recording studios for many years, working on motion picture and television soundtracks. Stevens is perhaps best known for his activities in the promotion, performance, and premiere recordings of new music for solo trumpet. His efforts have resulted in many works that have become staples of the genre, including the "Sequenza X" of Luciano Berio, which was written specifically for him.
Mr. Stevens is a published composer, arranger, and orchestrator whose works have been performed in major concert venues and on recordings. His original educational materials are used in music schools throughout the world; he is also the editor of the published definitive version of the internationally acclaimed James Stamp "Warm-Ups and Studies" (Editions Bim) and the author of the compilation, the James Stamp "Supplemental Studies" (2009) for the same publisher. Thomas Stevens has been a faculty member at the University of Southern California, CalArts, and the Music Academy of the West. He has presented master-classes and has held residencies at leading institutions around the globe, and the list of those who have studied with him includes prominent international soloists, members of major symphony orchestras, and faculty members at leading universities and schools of music.
Following his retirement from the Los Angeles Philharmonic in December, 1999, Thomas Stevens continued with his activities on the international master class circuit, teaching in several European venues, including a stint as the assistant director of TAW in Bremen, Germany. More recently, he has been on the faculties of the Lake Placid Institute, the Center for Advanced Musical Studies at Chosen Vale, and during the fall term of 2008, the California Institute of the Arts.
In 1996, Stevens was named outstanding alumnus of the year by the University of Southern California (Thornton) School of Music, where he did his undergraduate studies. And in 2007, he received a Certificate of Special Recognition from the Congress of the United States for "outstanding and invaluable service to the community."
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