Thomas Gould | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 (age 41–42) London, England |
| Instrument | Violin |
| Website | http://www.thomasgould.com/ |
Thomas Gould (born 1983) is a British violinist and the leader ofBritten Sinfonia, as well as former leader ofAurora Orchestra. Gould is best known for his playing of the classical music repertoire although he also plays a six-string electric violin and has performed jazz atRonnie Scott's.[1] He has performed at theRoyal Albert Hall,Barbican Centre andRoyal Festival Hall in London, as well asBridgewater Hall,Manchester Arena,Symphony Hall, Birmingham andNational Indoor Arena.[2]
Gould was born in London in 1983.[3] He lives inCamden, London and is the younger brother, by fifteen years, ofClio Gould, lead violinist with theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra. He studied withGyörgy Pauk at theRoyal Academy of Music from the age of 16.[3][4] He credits his sister with his choice of career, tellingThe Daily Telegraph in April 2011 "[…] it was inspirational, but more in a social than a musical way. Clio was always bringing these really lively, interesting people home to rehearse. It seemed an exciting life she was leading, and I wanted to do something similar."[4]
Gould takes an eclectic approach to music, withFiona Maddocks describing him in UK Sunday newspaperThe Observer as, "[…] a top soloist, happy to tackle old or new in concert hall or tramshed with symphony orchestra or accordion".[5]
In 2009, aged 25, he was elected Associate of theRoyal Academy of Music.[3]
In 2011, Gould toured with theAustralian Chamber Orchestra as both soloist and guest director.[6] In June of the same year,Decca Classics released the Aurora Orchestra's recording ofNico Muhly'sSeeing is Believing on which Gould played a six-string electric violin made by John Jordan; the recording was voted the iTunes Contemporary Classical Album of the Year.[3] He premieredHarrison Birtwistle's Oboe Quartet the same month.
His début with theLos Angeles Philharmonic, in 2012, was conducted byJohn Adams.[3]
In February 2013, Gouldbusked atWestminster Underground Station in an attempt by the LondonEvening Standard to recreateThe Washington Post's Joshua Bell experiment of 2007.[1][7]
In May 2013, Gould discussed his musical approach with Christopher Morely of theBirmingham Post, saying, "It was much later that I began to apply this knowledge to the violin, having always – wrongly – thought that the violin wasn’t a jazz instrument. Now I'm in the luxurious position of being able to get up and jam at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club having just played a recital at Wigmore Hall. But I'm definitely a classical violinist first and foremost. I think my classical playing has benefited massively from working with musicians outside classical music. If I wrote a list of great musicians I've been lucky enough to work with the list would includeBrad Mehldau and Radiohead as well as more expected names like Sir Mark Elder and Sir Colin Davis. I think as long as I continue to be inspired by other genres then I will continue to be a genre-crossing violinist."[1]
Writing in UK daily newspaperThe Guardian in November 2014, Gould said,
My own career is a fairly equal division between solo work and orchestral leading (with Aurora and Britten Sinfonia), with as much jazz and chamber music as time allows. I love the balance. I get to play pretty much the entire repertoire for the instrument, from Beethoven trios to Mahler symphonies to recording with Radiohead. I’m constantly playing new repertoire and working with new colleagues. That's an enormous privilege. It might mean feeling stressed at times for having multiple projects on the go simultaneously, but it means you never get that stagnant feeling of giving the umpteenth performance of the same concerto in a season. It makes it much easier to play in a way that's fresh, spontaneous and alive. If, as a performer, you enjoy what you are doing, then your audience will too.[8]
Gould has performed as soloist and director with Sinfonietta Riga, with whom he recordedBeethoven'sViolin Concerto andRalph Vaughan Williams'The Lark Ascending.[5] In addition to his classical performances, he was a member of the Man Overboardswing quintet until February 2016 (he retired saying that he is too busy with classical music, and was replaced byFiona Monbet)[9] and has worked withRadiohead,Rufus Wainwright andSigur Rós.
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