Jennifer Thomas (born 1977) is an American pianist, violinist, composer, performing artist, and recording artist. She was classically trained starting at the age of 5 and began composing in 2003, later releasing her debut album in 2007.
Thomas has issued nine albums, Oceans, was released in June 2024 and debuted at number 3 in the Billboard Classical Crossover music charts. Her 2018 album The Fire Within also debuted at number 3 in the Billboard Classical music charts, number 2 in their Classical Crossover music charts, and number 25 in the Top Heatseekers.
Thomas released her new cinematic orchestral album titled Game of Shadows on August 7, 2026 inspired by the spy, heist, and crime thriller movie genre.
Several of her original compositions and arrangements have been used in routines by International Skating Union Ice skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics and by 2020 Summer Olympics gymnasts.
Thomas's YouTube video recordings have achieved a total of 20 million views, with over 5 million viewing a live concert performance of her arrangement of "Carol of the Bells" from her 2015 Christmas album, Winter Symphony. This performance was in December 2015 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, with the Ensign Symphony & Chorus.
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Early life
Thomas grew up near Seattle, Washington. She got her first toy piano at the age of 3 and began formal lessons on both the piano and violin at the age of 5, under the tutelage of her mother, Carolyn Southworth. Her brothers also learned piano, violin, and cello from their mother. Jennifer and her older brother played in grade school orchestras, with Southworth as a conductor's assistant. Thomas continued to train classically and was involved in many recitals and piano adjudications through her teen years. She played with various youth orchestras and high school orchestras. She performed at her high school graduation and later went to Brigham Young University–Idaho.
At Brigham Young University–Idaho, Thomas studied piano under Professor Stephen Allen. She was a member of the university's Piano Ensemble group and accompanied the college choir and many vocal/instrumental students as well as playing violin in the university symphony. Thomas also competed in the university's Concerto Competition, where she took second place performing the Piano Concerto No. 3 (Prokofiev).
After college graduation, Thomas moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she was a regular performer with the Temple Square Concert Series and played violin in the Murray Symphony orchestra. While performing with the Murray Symphony, Thomas was a featured soloist on the Edward MacDowell Piano Concerto No. 2. She eventually moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she performed as a violinist with the Oregon Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and worked for the Seattle Symphony in the Education Department. It was during her time working for the Seattle Symphony when she started composing her own original music.
Career
Thomas is known for writing and performing piano-centered orchestral music from classical music to crossover music and cinematic orchestral epic music. While most of her works are original, she also covers classical pieces as well as pop music and movie soundtracks. Thomas has also composed film scores. She won the Gold Medal of Excellence in the 2011 Park City Film Music Festival for "Music in a Short Film" as well as a 2012 Hollywood Music in Media Award for "Best Film Score for Documentary/Short".
Thomas' third album, Illumination, won "Album of the Year" and "Artist of the Year" at the 2013 IMC Awards. In October 2015, Illumination also won the "Classical Song of the Year" International Music and Entertainment Association Award, and the Enlightened Piano Radio Award for "Best piano album with instrumentation" at Carnegie Hall New York City – where she performed live at the awards ceremony.
Winter Symphony, Thomas' fourth album was released in November 2015. Mixed by five time Grammy Award winner Brian Vibberts, contributors included Glen Gabriel, Ricky Kej and Taylor Davis (violinist). Following the album release, Thomas performed concerts at Salt Lake City, Atascocita, Texas and the Benaroya Hall Seattle. The album has received many favorable reviews and during 2016 won several prestigious awards.
In March 2017, Thomas arranged an orchestral cover of the Beauty and the Beast (Disney song) featuring cellist Armen Ksajikian to coincide with the release of the Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films movie Beauty and the Beast (2017 film). During July 2017, Thomas collaborated with poet J.ournal to produce a double award-winning track and video Nine Twelve, a powerful 9/11 reminder message, October 2017 saw a 10-year special re-mastered edition of her 2007 album Key of Sea.
On 12 October 2018, Thomas widely released a Billboard charting classical/cinematic music styled album titled The Fire Within which she previewed live in concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. During the winter of 2018, a composition by Thomas, A Beautiful Storm, was used in ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating gold medal programmes by Rika Kihira from Japan. Following this a partnership was established with Avex Entertainment to promote her album Key of Sea in Japan
Personal life
Thomas is married to Will Thomas, an ultra-marathon competitor who, in 2015, competed in the 106-mile race Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in France. Together, they have three children and reside in the Washington area.
Thomas has traced her heritage through her maiden name of Southworth, and on 28 March 2023 she visited Samlesbury Hall, Lancashire, England, which was built by Gilbert de Southworth (b. 1270). She was bestowed with honorary membership of the hall.
Discography
Albums
All Music
Thomas also features on the following albums;
Discogs
Film and Televised ice skating and gymnastics events coverage
2026 Team Japan 2026 Winter Olympics - Rise of the Phoenix, performed by Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita.
2022 Team USA Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics - 'Requiem for a Tower' and 'Requiem for a Dream', mix, performed by Karen Chen.
2021 2020 Summer Olympics Gymnastics - Two works performed, Winter Symphony performed by Vladislava Urazova and her arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Lee Yun-seo
2021 ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating 'The Fire Within' performed by Rika Kihira.
2021 2021 World Figure Skating Championships - Two works performed, 'The Fire Within' by Rika Kihira and Cha Jun-hwan, 'Moonlight' by Alexandra Feigin.
2020 South Korean Figure Skating Championships Senior gold medal won by Cha Jun-hwan to the program of an original Thomas composition The Fire Within (Jennifer Thomas album).
2020 US Figure Skating Championships gold medal won by Alysa Liu to the program of New World Symphony from the album Illumination composed by Thomas
2019 2019 ISU Jr Grand Prix Final figure skating gold medal won by Alysa Liu to the program of New World Symphony from the album Illumination composed by Thomas
2018 2018 NHK Trophy Grand Prix figure skating gold medal won by Rika Kihira to the program of A Beautiful Storm composed by Thomas
2017 Film Score "Desert Rose"
2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Hannah Miller, Short program