Tom Norris (born 1971) is an English musician, composer, ensemble leader and songwriter, who plays classical violin with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

and also manages a solo pop music career.

Life

Tom Norris was born in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and attended Chetham's School of Music as a child. Later he studied at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

in London, and began singing and playing in local clubs as a jazz violinist with musicians including

Lionel Grigson Lionel Grigson (12 February 1942 – 14 June 1994) was an English jazz pianist, cornettist, trumpeter, composer, writer and teacher, who in the 1980s started the jazz course at the Guildhall School of Music. As Simon Purcell wrote in ''The Ind ...

. After finishing school, he played as an extra with the London Symphony Orchestra, began to write songs and toured in a piano trio with Norbert Zehm and Kate Shortt. He continued his studies at

Banff Centre for the Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

in Alberta, Canada, and then took a position for two years as Principal Second Violinist with the

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba. The WSO presents an average ...

. He returned to London for a position with the London Symphony Orchestra, where he plays Co-Principal Second Violin. Norris has worked with a broad range of musical acts including

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label ...

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

Manu Delago Manu Delago (born 31 July 1984) is an Austrian Hang player, percussionist and composer based in London. Biography Delago was born in Innsbruck, Tyrol, and took music lessons as a child in accordion and piano. As a teenager he mainly played dru ...

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lond ...

and

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

. In March 2010, Norris played violin for The Who's production of ''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song " A Quick One, While ...

'' at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London as a tenth anniversary charity benefit for the

Teenage Cancer Trust Teenage Cancer Trust is a cancer care and support charity in the UK that exists to improve the cancer experience of young people aged 13–24. Founded in 1990, the charity's key service is providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. It ...

. On 3 July 2010, he performed as the opening act for Eric Clapton at DTE Energy music theatre. Norris leads the Vuillaume Quartet, formed in 2001 for the London Symphony Orchestra's Discovery program. In August 2010, his classical ensemble The Puertas Quartet reached the semi-finals of the

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

International String Quartet Competition.

Discography

Norris maintains a broad discography, having appeared on numerous CDs as a musician, composer and/or ensemble leader. In 2010 he debuted as a solo recording artist, issuing his first popular music CD, ''Edge of the World''. Other credits include: *Various Artists, ''

Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

Jams, Vol. 12'', composer *Various Artists, ''Family Jams, Vol. 3'', composer *

RPWL RPWL is a German progressive rock band. Their music is distributed by their label Gentle Art of Music. History This band was formed in 1997 in Freising, Germany as a Pink Floyd cover band. The band's name is a combination of the first letters of ...

, ''Gentle Art of Music'', String Arrangements *RPWL, ''Gentle Art of Music'', Viola *Various Artists, ''It's Teen Disney'', composer *RPWL, ''Gentle Art of Music'', Violin * Escala, ''Escala'', Violin * Declan, ''Declan'', leader *

Johan de Meij Johannes Abraham "Johan" de Meij (; born November 23, 1953 in Voorburg) is a Dutch conductor, trombonist, and composer, best known for his '' Symphony No. 1'' for wind ensemble, nicknamed ''The Lord of the Rings'' symphony. Biography Johan de ...

, ''Johan de Meij: Symphony No. 1 "Lord of the Rings"'', Violin *

Mannheim Steamroller Mannheim Steamroller is an American neoclassical new-age music ensemble founded and directed by percussionist/composer Chip Davis in 1974. The group is known primarily for its ''Fresh Aire'' series of albums, which blend classical music with ele ...

, ''Fresh Aire Collector's Box, Vol. 1–8'', Violin *Mannheim Steamroller, ''Fresh Aire 8'', Violin *Various Artists, ''Music of Hope'', Violin *

Chris Brubeck Christopher Brubeck is an American musician and composer, both in jazz and classical music. As a musician, he mainly plays electric bass, bass trombone, and piano. The son of noted jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, in 1972 he joined his fath ...

, ''Bach to Brubeck: Bass Trombone Concerto/Blues Suite for Banjo & Orchestra'', Violin *

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award fo ...

, ''Dust Bowl Symphony'', Violin *Shinjuku Thief, "Witch Hammer'', Feedback

References

External links

"Vienna" music videoOfficial websiteYoutube music channelTom Norris plays Quadrophenia with The WhoInterview for "The Gentle Art of Music"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Tom 1971 births Living people English classical violinists British male violinists British jazz violinists English composers English male singer-songwriters Musicians from London English male guitarists Musicians from Kent 21st-century English singers 21st-century classical violinists 21st-century British guitarists 21st-century British male singers British male jazz musicians Male classical violinists