Born in Paris in 1988, Thomas Dunford discovered the lute at the age of 9 thanks to his teacher Claire Antonini. He continued his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was unanimously awarded first prize in the class of Charles-Edouard Fantin, and then at the Schola Cantorum in Basel with Hopkinson Smith. He has participated in numerous master classes with lutenists such as Rolf Lislevand, Julian Bream, Eugène Ferré, Paul O'Dette, Pascale Boquet, Benjamin Perrot and Eduardo Eguez. In 2003, he made his debut as lutenist in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the Comédie-Française. Since then he has performed throughout the world. Thomas Dunford is regularly invited to conduct or perform with ensembles and orchestras including Les Arts Florissants, the Academy of Ancient Music, La Cappella Mediterranea, and Pygmalion. Since 2017, he has also conducted productions at Opera Lafayette in Washington.In 2018, he founded his own ensemble, Jupiter, born from the encounter and friendship with musicians of his generation, with whom he performs in the greatest halls of Europe and the United States. Their first CD, dedicated to Vivaldi, will be released in 2019. It will be followed in 2021 by "Amazone", a Franco-Italian recital program with Lea Desandre, and in 2022 by "Eternal Heaven", dedicated to Handel's oratorios with Lea Desandre and Iestyn Davies. Thomas Dunford has already received numerous awards for solo recordings: "Lacrimae" in 2012, "Labirinto d'Amore" in 2014, and "Bach" in 2018. In 2023, he released the disc "Idylle" with Lea Desandre.Last season, Thomas Dunford toured the USA and Japan with Lea Desandre, as well as Europe for solo and chamber music recitals. With Jupiter, he created Chasing Rainbows at the Opéra de Rouen, followed by performances at the Opéra Comique and the Cité Bleue in Geneva.Debut at the Opéra National de Paris

Thomas DunfordMusician