Departments
Professional Development
Courses Taught
PDV 200: Professional Fundamentals
Education
Bachelor of Music - Montclair State University
Master of Music - The University of Missouri (Kansas City)
Doctor of Musical Arts - The University of Texas at Austin
Ensembles
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Francisco Chamber Orchestra
Awards
Fall 2022 - Fine Arts Diversity Grant, The University of Texas at Austin
Fall 2022 - Kevin Garren Memorial Scholarship, The D’Addario Foundation
Fall 2019 - 1st Prize, Golden Classical Music International Competition
Q&A
What is your hometown?
Staten Island, NY
What are you passionate about outside of music?
Discovering all the great food the Bay Area has to offer!
Who were your major teachers? (List three or fewer.)
Stephen Page
Zachary Shemon
Stacy Wilson
What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?
You don't always have to be doing something. You can just be, and that's plenty.
-Alice Walker
What was a turning point in your career?
Being diagnosed with focal dystonia in 2016 and having to reestablish my relationship to my instrument, which means prioritizing time for rest!
If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?
Anything collaborative. I love connecting and working with people.
What is your daily practice routine?
It varies, depending on time, but will ALWAYS start and end with stretching and breathing exercises.
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Miriama Young
Clara Schumann
Jean-Denis Michat
From a music history perspective, what year and city are most important to you, and why?
º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Francisco, 1978. Sylvester.
What is your unrealized project?
I'm currently working on a series of public humanities projects, including an accessible text based on oral history interviews with those whose lives have been impacted by HIV/AIDS and how music functioned as activism during the epidemic.
Media
Biography
Dr. Thomas Kurtz enjoys a multi-hyphenate career as an educator, researcher, cultural arts administrator, and performing artist, with a commitment to champion equity-driven initiatives in the arts with a commitment to champion equity-driven initiatives in the arts. His current research investigates how music and performance functioned as a catalyst for social justice during prominent social movements, with a particular focus among LGBTQ+ communities in the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Francisco Bay Area. Thomas’ cultural management experience includes curating, producing, numerous cultural events through community partnerships with the National AIDS Memorial, the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and the GLBT Historical Society. Additionally, as a saxophonist, Thomas continues to collaborate with composers, perform new music throughout the Bay Area, and he most recently performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall.
As an educator, Thomas’ aim is to foster a community within which all students have the resources available to reach their full potential, where students are able to connect to their artistry with meaning, intent, and purpose, and learn how to leverage their skills within various disciplines. He’s held teaching positions at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Antonio College, and the University of Texas at Austin, and he currently teaches within the Performing Arts & Social Justice department at the University of º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Francisco and within the Professional Development Department at the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ Francisco Conservatory. He holds degrees from Montclair State University, University of Missouri - Kansas City, and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a cognate in Cultural Arts Management.