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Short Professional Bio
Thomas Patteson is a musicologist and musician based in Philadelphia whose work explores sound technology, the history of improvisation, and the interface of music and consciousness studies. His first book, Instruments for New Music, was a history of experimental instruments and early electronic music in Germany during the early 20th century. He is currently working on a translation of Ernst Ferand's 1938 study Die Improvisation in der Musik, a historical survey of improvisational practices in European music. Thomas was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship (University of Cologne, 2005-2006) and the American Musicological Society's Lewis Lockwood Prize (2017). He has taught at the Curtis Institute of Music and at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is currently a Lecturer in music. Long Human Bio Hello, I am Thomas Patteson, a teacher, writer, curator, and musician who lives in Philadelphia, USA. My work and play revolves around the belief that we humans need music in order to remember our true nature, which is both embodied and infinite. As a teacher, I help students develop the critical thinking and imagination needed to understand and change the world. I am currently a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, where I teach a first-year seminar called "Music and the Exploration of Consciousness." From 2013 to 2023, I taught in the Musical Studies department at the Curtis Institute of Music, where I developed a new music history curriculum and launched electives that were the first of their kind at the school. As a writer, I seek to expand our ideas of what music is and what it could be. The focus of my current work is a translation of Ernst Ferand's 1938 book Die Improvisation in der Musik, a groundbreaking history of improvisatory practices in European music. Other writings include The Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments (based on a website of the same name), Instruments for New Music (a study of experimental sound technologies in Germany during the 1920s and '30s), and the blogs Possible Music (2023-) and Acousmata (2009-2013). As a curator, I collaborate with musicians, artists, and institutions to create transformative musical experiences. My main outlet is People's Music Supply, an artist-led platform for improvised music and community-building which I co-founded in 2023. Over the years, 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 a variety of different groups, including Argyle Torah and the 52nd Street Planetary Ensemble. Some major influences on my musical aesthetics include the creative music tradition, experimental and electronic music of the late 20th century, medieval European polyphony, and Indian classical music. |
Photo by David Dzubinski
Photo by Jessica Brown
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