Thomas Pickering

Thomas is currently studying in London, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with Ian Wilson. He has studied music from an early age with his primary instrument being the recorder, but also studies the flute, baroque flute, piano and harpsichord. Aged thirteen Thomas attained Grade 8 Distinction in recorder and went on to study at diploma level gaining his DipLCM Recorder Performance aged fifteen. He has had numerous solo performance opportunities on the recorder, including performing concertos with both the Sussex Concert Orchestra and the East Sussex String Orchestra. At 14 Thomas became the Principal Flautist for the Hastings Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2014 – 2018). He has also played flute for both the Invicta Wind Orchestra (Kent) and the Sussex Concert Orchestra. Thomas was a member of the Rye Wurlitzer Academy and won the national title of ‘UK’s Young Theatre Organist of the Year’ aged 14. He has twice been featured on the BBC Radio 2 programme ‘The Organist Entertains’.

Thomas has been very involved with the Guildhall School’s recorder department, and has taken part in lessons and masterclasses both as a soloist and as part of an ensemble with various people, such as Robert Ehrlich, Karel van Steenhoven and Dorothee Oberlinger. In his first year at GSMD he was selected to play the principal recorder part in the school’s opera; a production of ‘Venus and Adonis’ by John Blow. Other projects at Guildhall have included playing in the Vocal Department’s ‘Opera Scenes’, and collaborating with various composers, which has led to unique performance opportunities, such as playing in an underground library at Somerset House. Thomas has competed in various competitions, both as a soloist and as a member of an ensemble. He competed as a soloist in the Hastings Music Festival and was awarded the Bronze, Silver and Gold Medal for recorder in three consecutive years, and has gone on to compete at bigger competitions, such as the ORDA international recorder competition in The Netherlands. Recent highlights have included playing for the ENO’s Olivier Award-winning production of ‘Noye’s Fludde’ and touring with Opera North as the solo recorder player for a production of ‘The Greek Passion’. He also successfully auditioned and completed the Wigmore Hall’s Chamber Tots scheme.

As a composer/arranger, Thomas has a wealth of experience. He first started writing music at about the age of 7 or 8, and hasn't stopped yet. More recently Thomas was selected to compose a recorder trio dedicated to The Lord Mayor of London. His arrangements are primarily for the recorder since that is his first instrument, and because of his vast practical experience playing the recorder both solo and in ensembles, his arrangements are always creative, well-thought out and idiomatic for the recorder.