(photo credit Jamison Wexler)
With a sound described as “beautifully warm” (Herald Times) and “sweet and agile” (New York Times), period clarinetist and instrument builder Thomas Carroll performs extensively throughout North America and Europe on historical instruments. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, Indiana University, and The Royal Conservatoire of The Hague.

Internationally, Thomas has performed under such directors as Christophe Coin, Richard Egarr, Philippe Herreweghe, Jos van Immerseel, Allessandro Moccia, and David Stern; and has performed at numerous festivals as an orchestral and chamber musician including Oude Muziek Utrecht, Muziekzomer Gelderland, Young Euro Classic, Festival de Saintes, and Musica Antiqua Brugge in venues ranging from the Kozerthaus in Berlin to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has been featured as a soloist with Mercury: The Orchestra Redefined, Lyra Baroque, Ensemble ad Libitum, Boston Baroque, and Grand Harmonie to critical acclaim. In North America, Thomas has performed as the principal clarinetist with Boston-based Grand Harmonie, Houston-based Mercury, San Francisco-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, and Philharmonie Austin, frequently collaborating with other early music specialists throughout North America including the Clarion Music and Handel and Haydn Societies, Sonoma Bach, Musica Angelica, and Boston Baroque. He has given faculty chamber recitals and guest lectures and masterclasses on both coasts and at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.

As an educator, Thomas is dedicated to training the next generation of historical clarinetists and cultivating an interest in performance practice and hands-on research. He has given guest lectures and masterclasses at universities throughout the United States and maintains a private studio of historical clarinet students. He is also a faculty member at the Festival de Música de Santa Catarina in Brazil.

An interest in instrument mechanics and acoustics has led Thomas to a secondary career as an instrument builder and extensive research into 18th and 19th century wood treatment and seasoning. He builds chalumeaux, baroque, and classical clarinets, and basset instruments for use in historically-informed performance ensembles, which are played throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.