Biography
"....metaphysical brilliance…a colossal achievement made up of seemingly effortless and joyous playing meeting with an equally joyous audience response." ~ The Arts Desk
Champion of British music and contemporary composers, Thomas Kemp is renowned for his distinctive programming, musical imagination and precision that brings to life a wide range of repertoire. He is music director of Chamber Domaine - an ensemble specialising in 20th and 21st Century music and Music@Malling - which brings outstanding musicians into the heart of the community through concerts and outreach.
Thomas is regularly in demand as a guest conductor in the UK and Europe. Recent and forthcoming engagements include concerts with BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Fretwork, London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Variances, London Mozart Players, City of London Sinfonia and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Thomas is the Music Director of Chamber Domaine, which is at the forefront of ensembles focusing on 20th and 21st Century music. He regularly conducts Chamber Domaine in festivals and concert series in the UK, Europe and North America. In 2022, the ensemble received five star reviews in the national press for Six Brandenburgs: Six Commissions – giving world premieres of new works by Brian Elias, Michael Price, Deborah Pritchard, Daniel Kidane, Joseph Phibbs and Stevie Wishart alongside the Brandenburg Concertos.
The Observer described the performances as "superbly performed" Musical Opinion praised the concerts as "a true continuation of the energising, restorative effect of Bach’s music, crisply and spontaneously rendered by members of Chamber Domaine under Thomas Kemp’s alert direction." Six Brandenburgs: Six Commissions has featured in festivals and concert series in the UK and Europe including Wigmore Hall in June 2025.
Other highlights have included groundbreaking concerts in the UK and Asia with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducting the 1925 film version of Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier; performances of Mahler and Strauss with Louise Alder, Toby Spence and Dietrich Henschel at the Oxford International Song Festival; a tour with Fidelio Trio and the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland; world premieres of Mark-Anthony Turnage and Howard Skempton with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and conducting the London Sinfonietta at the Southbank Centre for the Boulez Centenary. In a five star review, Backtrack described this concert as: "a fantastic night that may be remembered as one of the best concerts of 2025"
Thomas is an award winning recording artist with an extensive discography on Resonus and Signum Records. Recent releases include world premiere recordings of Eleanor Alberga which was Orchestral Choice in BBC Music Magazine: "The BBC Symphony Orchestra under conductor Thomas Kemp give a meticulous and colourful account" and music by Brian Elias which was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone.
Thomas enjoys an international career as a violinist, working as soloist, concert master and chamber musician with many renowned orchestra and ensembles and has featured in many recordings for TV and film.
"He displays a remarkable variety of tone in playing that’s lyrical yet assertive, and there’s a real sense of sincerity to his glowing interpretations." The Strad
