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The Welsh pianist, harpsichordist and organist, Rosemary Blandford Thomas, began to play while she was still a child, before she was 16 she had broadcast for the BBC and 2 years later represented the UK at the VIIth International Chopin Competition in Warsaw where she was warmly received and awarded a diploma (2nd stage). Following studies at the Royal Colleges of Music London and Manchester she was awarded the British Council Chopin Fellowship which took her to Warsaw to study with Jan Ekier.
Rosemary Thomas has lived in her native.Tredegar, Wales all her life and continues to work as a nurse in caring for the elderly and in her early career was trained as a midwife. Her repertoire is extensive from J.S. Bach to contemporary and she is a sensitive interpreter of Frédéric Chopin and Schubert. Despite her early love of 19th century romantics she is now in the process of recording the Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti her favourite composer on the harpsichord as well as works by François Couperin, Rameau et al
Rosemary Thomas was an early recipient of a Paderewski Foundation award and also received a Challen piano from the Society for the Piano. Stefan Askenase awarded her a special prize for her performance of the Fantasy on Polish Airs at the first national Chopin competition in the UK.
More recently, in 2000 Rosemary Thomas y was invited to play for the last Masterclass by the great Rosalyn Tureck held in Oxford University as a part of the 2nd Oxford Philomusica International Piano Festival and in 2002 returned to Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd as a mature student where she completed her Bachelor of Music degree with Honours in 2005 with the financial assistance of a Welsh Assembly learning grant. She was also accompanist of Tredegar Orpheus Male Voice Choir (September 2004-October 2006).
At the moment (as of 2012) Rosemary Thomas is recording her favourite composer Scarlatti on the harpsichord and at weekends plays the organ at the Immaculate Conception Church in Tredegar. She currently lives in Tredegar, Wales. |
