Thomas Johnston

Thomas Johnston is a bassist, pianist, composer, arranger, and music director based in Rochester, New York. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Thomas has built a diverse career spanning jazz, contemporary classical music, musical theater, and education. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance at the Eastman School of Music.

As a performer, Thomas has appeared with ensembles and artists throughout the Midwest and New York, performing at venues including Ornithology in New York City, Chris's Jazz Cafe, The Bop Stop, Blu Jazz+, and Merrimans Playhouse. He is the leader of the TJ Trio, a modern jazz ensemble whose repertoire combines original compositions, standards, and arrangements of music by artists such as Thundercat, Tyler, the Creator, Joni Mitchell, and Nirvana. As a sideman, Thomas has appeared on over 20 projects to date, with many of those projects winning several state, and national awards. Thomas also holds an extensive background in show choir and musical theater. As a combo director, his 25 person high school band for the Marysville Show Choir programs in Marysville, OH, won 12 best combo awards in his tenure. His group was ranked 7th in the country.

Thomas is equally active as a composer and arranger, with work that blends contemporary classical and jazz traditions through improvisation, timbral exploration, and narrative-driven forms. His music often explores themes of identity, memory, immigration, and human experience. He has also served as a music director for 25 musical productions, contributing to over 200 productions as a performer and musical collaborator.

As an educator, Thomas has worked with students in jazz, classical, and musical theater settings and is passionate about creating collaborative environments where young musicians can develop both technically and creatively.