Thomas Patteson (b. 1981) is a scholar and musician who explores music's connections to new forms of science, society, and spirituality. Thomas is Professor of Music History at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2013. He is the author of Instruments for New Music (University of California Press, 2016), a history of the musical, social, and political ramifications of experimental sound technologies developed in Germany in the early 20th century.
Thomas is actively involved in the Philadelphia music scene. He has worked closely with Bowerbird, where he helped launch the Arcana New Music Ensemble in 2016, and the dance/music platform <fidget>. He created the music blogs Acousmata (2009-2013) and Possible Music (2023-) and is co-curator of the Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments, an online archive of speculative organology. As a musician, Thomas plays alto saxophone, keyboard, and modular synthesizer in a number of improvisational ensembles.
He is a proud union member of the American Federation of Teachers Local 09608, United Academics of Philadelphia.
Thomas is actively involved in the Philadelphia music scene. He has worked closely with Bowerbird, where he helped launch the Arcana New Music Ensemble in 2016, and the dance/music platform <fidget>. He created the music blogs Acousmata (2009-2013) and Possible Music (2023-) and is co-curator of the Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments, an online archive of speculative organology. As a musician, Thomas plays alto saxophone, keyboard, and modular synthesizer in a number of improvisational ensembles.
He is a proud union member of the American Federation of Teachers Local 09608, United Academics of Philadelphia.
Photo by Jessica Brown
