Thomas Buckner (born 1941) is an American

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

vocalist specializing in the performance of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

and improvised music. In his work, he utilizes a wide range of extended (non-traditional) vocal techniques. Buckner also works as a concert promoter; in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, California, he founded the 1750 Arch Concerts, which presented over 100 musical events per year for eight years. He also founded the record label 1750 Arch Records, which released more than 50 LPs. Also in Berkeley, he co-led the 23-member Arch Ensemble. He operates the record label Mutable Musicbr>
Buckner has performed with

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, Gerald Oshita, Phill Niblock,

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, David Darling, Gustavo Aguilar, Wu Man, and

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. More than 70 composers have created works for him; these include Robert Ashley,

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, Annea Lockwood, Bun-Ching Lam, Morton Subotnick,

Jerome Cooper Jerome Douglas Cooper (December 14, 1946 – May 6, 2015) was an American free jazz musician. In addition to trap drums, Cooper played balafon, chirimia and various electronic instruments, and referred to himself as a "multi-dimensional drummer," ...

, David Wessel, Tom Hamilton, Leroy Jenkins, Wadada Leo Smith.

Biography

Buckner is a grandson of International Business Machines founder Thomas J. Watson, Sr. In the early 1970s, while his uncle John N. Irwin, II served as the U.S. Ambassador to France, Buckner was one of approximately 500 left-leaning Americans on Richard Nixon's so-called "

enemies list "Nixon's Enemies List" is the informal name of what started as a list of President of the United States Richard Nixon's major political opponents compiled by Charles Colson, written by George T. Bell (assistant to Colson, special counsel to th ...

." He grew up in Westchester County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and has lived in New York City since 1983. His wife is the bharatanatyam dancer Kamala Cesar, whom he married in 199

He is the brother of painter

Walker Buckner Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

and children's advocate

Elizabeth Buckner Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

. Buckner is an alumnus of the Music Academy of the West, where he attended in 1970.

Discography

With Muhal Richard Abrams *'' The Visibility of Thought'' (Mutable, 2001) With

*''

Alone, Together, Apart ''Alone, Together, Apart'' is a live album by percussionist Jerome Cooper and vocalist Thomas Buckner. It was recorded in April 2002 at Lotus Music and Dance Studio in New York City, and was released by Mutable Music in 2003. Reception In an revi ...

'' (Mutable, 2003) With

*'' 8 O'Clock: Two Improvisations'' (Mutable, 2001) *'' Numbers'' (

RogueArt RogueArt (also written Rogueart and Rogue Art) is a French independent record label based in Paris. It was founded by record producer Michel Dorbon in 2005 and specialises in jazz and improvised music. History RogueArt was founded by record p ...

, 2011)

References

External links

Thomas Buckner official site
by Sybil Fix, from ''The Post and Courier'' (Charleston, South Carolina), June 7, 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckner, Thomas American operatic baritones 1941 births Living people Contemporary classical music performers Place of birth missing (living people) Santa Clara University alumni Music Academy of the West alumni RogueArt artists