Sean Thomas
SEAN THOMAS (Musician, Performer, Educator) Born in Trinidad, West Indies, Sean had an interest in music from an early age. The second child in this musical family of five (5) children, Thomas’ father Leroy, Pan Tuner and Manager – ‘Moods Steel Orchestra’ encouraged his children to develop the art of playing the steelpan from an early age. Sean played the tenor pan from the age of seven (7) and went on to fulfill the role of drummer for his father’s steelpan orchestra. An introduction to contemporary jazz music during this period by Thomas’ father would now open a whole new world for Sean.
It was in 1995 he was awarded a scholarship to study drums at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance in Boston http://www.monkinstitute.com/college.html . This afforded him the opportunity to study and perform with Jazz Masters – Tom Mc Intosh, Ron Carter, Thelonious Monk Jnr., Barry Harris, Max Roach, Lewis Nash and Wynton Marsalis to name a few. He toured India and Thailand with the Thelonious Monk Jazz Ensemble under the direction of distinguished Jazz Masters: Carl Atkins Thelonious Monk Jnr., Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and performed both drums and steel pans at the Snowmass Jazz Festival in Aspen Colorado.
Thomas then returned to his native Trinidad and began teaching in schools and also offered private tuition. In 1994 and 2002, he did the musical arrangement for his alma mater, St. Augustine Senior Comprehensive School for the Schools National Panorama Competition (an island wide steelpan competition for schools). The school placed first and second respectively.
He also did the musical arrangement for Moods Steel Orchestra for the National Conventional Steelpan (Small Band Category) Competition. Moods Steel Orchestra was declared the National Panorama Champions in their category for 1994.
