Thomas Dunford

Lutenist Thomas Dunford maintains an uncommonly wide scope of activity, functioning as a solo recitalist, a participant in chamber settings, and the leader of his own group. For many years he belonged to Ensemble Marsyas, an affiliation that encompassed both jazz and classical repertoire, and he currently heads Jupiter, the ensemble he created.

Born in Paris in 1988, Dunford began playing the lute at the age of nine. He trained at the Conservatoire Supérieure de Paris under Charles-Edouard Fantin, earning the institution’s first prize in 2006. He continued his studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, with Hopkinson Smith and attended master classes given by Julian Bream, Paul O’Dette, and Rolf Lislevand. In 2006 he obtained a bachelor’s degree from the Schola Cantorum. Performance engagements had already begun to appear; between 2003 and 2005 he portrayed the lutenist in a Comédie Française staging of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Dunford’s recital engagements subsequently extended across several continents. He has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and Wigmore Hall in London, as well as in China, India, and Chile. Regular appearances at European festivals have been complemented by collaborations with leading early-music ensembles such as La Serenissima, Capriccio Stravagante, Les Arts Florissants, and the Eliza Consort, the group with which he made his first recording, Byrd, Dowland: Ye Sacred Muses, issued in 2012. His initial solo album, Dowland: Lachrimae, appeared on Alpha in 2013. He remained a member of Ensemble Marsyas, founded in 2011, until establishing Jupiter in 2018, an ensemble composed largely of younger players. His discography includes releases on Alpha, Hyperion, and Wigmore Hall Live. In 2019 Jupiter recorded the Alpha album Vivaldi, containing both instrumental and vocal works. Dunford also accompanied mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre on the Warner Classics/Erato discs Amazone (2021) and Eternal Heaven: Handel (2022). He continues to reside in Paris.