Second horn of the Houston Symphony since 1995, Brian Thomas is a native of Minneapolis and was influenced by his musical family and the rich artistic environment of his hometown. Both of his parents were cellists, and his father played with the Minnesota Orchestra for 50 seasons before his recent retirement.
Brian took up the horn at an early age and was guided by mentor Dave Kamminga to Northwestern University, where he studied with Chicago Symphony hornists Norman Schweikert and Dale Clevenger. He proceeded on to positions in the orchestras of Louisville, Columbus, and Syracuse before assuming his current position in Houston.
Thomas has performed with the orchestras of Minnesota, Cincinnati, and San Diego and played for many years in both the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder and the Skaneateles Festival in upstate New York. He has been second horn in the prestigious Sun Valley Summer Symphony since 1999 and is a frequent guest artist at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music. Thomas was recently an artist-in-residence at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He has also performed with the Scottish band The Rogues and recorded a CD and a live DVD with the group.
Brian is an avid road cyclist, enjoys the artistic and technical aspects of high-end audiophile equipment, and nourishes his soul with Celtic music. He shares his home in the suburbs of Houston with his lovely wife, Victoria, and six grateful rescue cats.