My name is Thomas Patteson. I was born in 1981 in Vero Beach, Florida (United States). I am a musician, teacher, and writer.
After studies at New College of Florida, the University of Cologne (Germany), and the University of Pennsylvania, I taught music history at the Curtis Institute of Music for 10 years (2013-2023). In the earlier part of my career, I focused on musical modernism and historical avant-garde movements, especially within electronic and experimental music. These interests are reflected in my book Instruments for New Music (2016), a history of new sound technologies developed in Germany in the early 20th century.
Presently, my main areas of interest are 1) the history and theory of improvisation, particularly in the Black American tradition of creative music, 2) Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, and 3) musical dimensions of meditation, spiritual practices, and altered states of consciousness.
I have lived in Philadelphia since 2006, where I've worked closely with the presenting organization Bowerbird and the dance/music platform <fidget>. I also helped launch the Arcana New Music Ensemble in 2016.
Trying to make the internet a little less horrible, I created the music blogs Acousmata (2009-2013) and Possible Music (2023-). I'm also the co-curator of the Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments, an online archive of speculative organology.
As a musician, I play alto saxophone, keyboard, and modular synthesizer, both as a solo artist and in a number of improvising ensembles. You can hear some recordings of my music in the Music section of this page.
After studies at New College of Florida, the University of Cologne (Germany), and the University of Pennsylvania, I taught music history at the Curtis Institute of Music for 10 years (2013-2023). In the earlier part of my career, I focused on musical modernism and historical avant-garde movements, especially within electronic and experimental music. These interests are reflected in my book Instruments for New Music (2016), a history of new sound technologies developed in Germany in the early 20th century.
Presently, my main areas of interest are 1) the history and theory of improvisation, particularly in the Black American tradition of creative music, 2) Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, and 3) musical dimensions of meditation, spiritual practices, and altered states of consciousness.
I have lived in Philadelphia since 2006, where I've worked closely with the presenting organization Bowerbird and the dance/music platform <fidget>. I also helped launch the Arcana New Music Ensemble in 2016.
Trying to make the internet a little less horrible, I created the music blogs Acousmata (2009-2013) and Possible Music (2023-). I'm also the co-curator of the Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments, an online archive of speculative organology.
As a musician, I play alto saxophone, keyboard, and modular synthesizer, both as a solo artist and in a number of improvising ensembles. You can hear some recordings of my music in the Music section of this page.
