I am Thomas Patteson, a teacher, writer, curator, and musician who lives in Philadelphia, USA. My main areas of interest are sound technology, improvisation, and experimental culture. I believe that we humans need music in order to remember our true nature, which is both embodied and infinite.

As a teacher, I strive to help students develop the habits of thought needed to understand and change the world. I am currently a Lecturer in Music at the University of Pennsylvania, where I teach an interdisciplinary seminar called "Music and the Exploration of Consciousness."  Prior to my appointment at Penn, I taught 19th- and 20th-century music history for ten years at the Curtis Institute of Music, where I helped to reshape the history survey and created new courses in sound technology, popular music, and improvisation.

As a writer, I am drawn to stories that expand our ideas of what music is and what it could be. My recent book The Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments (2026, with Deirdre Loughridge) is an essay in speculative organology, while Instruments for New Music (2016) maps out modernist sound technologies in early 20th century Germany. The focus of my current work is a translation of Ernst Ferand's 1938 book Die Improvisation in der Musik, a groundbreaking history of improvisation in European music. Online writings include the blogs Possible Music (2023-) and Acousmata (2009-2013). 

As a curator, I work and play with musicians, artists, and institutions to create transformative musical experiences.  In 2023, I started a weekly open improvisation session at the Rotunda in University City, which has grown into a fully self-sustaining musical community. The same year, I co-founded People's Music Supply, an artist-led platform for improvised music and creative encounters. I've also worked closely with Philadelphia presenting organizations such as Fidget and Bowerbird, where I helped launch the Arcana New Music Ensemble in 2016. 

As a musician, I play alto saxophone, keyboard, and electronics in groups such as Infra Dig, Argyle Torah, Notions Department, and the 52nd Street Planetary Ensemble. 

Photo by Audrey Troutt

Photo by David Dzubinski

Photo by Jessica Brown