Thomas Wilkins (born c.1956) is an orchestra conductor.

Early life and education

Wilkins was born in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

and grew-up in a housing project, the son of a single mother and welfare recipient. His inspiration to become an orchestra conductor came from a performance of ''

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

'' he attended when he was eight years old. Wilkins received a bachelor's degree in music education from the

Shenandoah Conservatory Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences (including the Division of Education and Le ...

in 1978, and a master of music degree in orchestral conducting from the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

in 1982.

Teaching and conducting

Wilkins has taught at

North Park University North Park University is a private Christian university in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church. It is located on Chicago's north side and enrolls more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. His ...

, the

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT-Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is one of four universities and two other affiliated institutions in the ...

, and

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

. He worked as assistant director of the

Richmond Symphony Orchestra The Richmond Symphony is based in Richmond, Virginia and is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia and one of the nation's leading regional orchestras. The organization includes a full-time orchestra with more than 70 musician ...

. He also worked as resident director of the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

and the

Florida Orchestra The Florida Orchestra is an American orchestra based in the tri-city area of Tampa, Clearwater, Florida, Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida. It was founded as the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony upon the 1968 merger of the ...

. Wilkins became music director of the Omaha Symphony in 2005, and family and youth concert conductor of the Boston Symphony in 2011. He retired from the Omaha Symphony on June 12, 2021.

Notes

1956 births Living people American male conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) African-American classical musicians Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Musicians from Norfolk, Virginia Classical musicians from Virginia 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians Classical musicians from Nebraska Shenandoah University alumni New England Conservatory alumni North Park University University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty Virginia Commonwealth University faculty 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians {{US-conductor-stub