Thomas Beard
Thomas Beard grew up in Wingham Ontario and began playing cello at the age of 8 in the Kincardine Summer Music Festival. In his early years, he received numerous awards and scholarships at regional and provincial festivals in Ontario.
Thomas orchestral training began as cellist in the Grey-Bruce Orchestra, principal cellist in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra and as a member the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. In 2009 and 2010 Thomas was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, under the direction of Alain Trudel and Jacques Lacombe, touring across Canada and recording albums at McGill University each year. The NYOCs 2009 recording was nominated for a Classical Album of the Year Juno.
In 2011 Thomas won the Stratford Concerto Competition with the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto in A minor, as well as second place with Strauss Romance in D minor for Harp and Cello with his sister, Emily Beard, on the harp.
Thomas chamber music experience includes collaborating with numerous artists such as Peter Allen, Marc Djokic, Jasmine Schnarr, Kati Gleiser, and Caroline Leonardelli. Thomas was recently part of a string quartet that won the McGill Chamber Music Competition 2014 that took them to Austria to take part in the Salzburger Kammermusikfest where they received coachings from Wolfgang Redik and Paul Roczek at the Mozarteum.
Thomas is currently studying for an Artist Diploma at McGill University, after completing his Bachelor of Music Honors Cello Performance (also at McGill University), both under the excellent tutelage of Yegor Dyachkov. Part of his orchestral training at McGill includes playing as principal and section cellist with the McGill Symphony Orchestra under the artistic direction of Alexis Hauser.
Thomas orchestral training began as cellist in the Grey-Bruce Orchestra, principal cellist in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra and as a member the Stratford Symphony Orchestra. In 2009 and 2010 Thomas was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, under the direction of Alain Trudel and Jacques Lacombe, touring across Canada and recording albums at McGill University each year. The NYOCs 2009 recording was nominated for a Classical Album of the Year Juno.
In 2011 Thomas won the Stratford Concerto Competition with the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto in A minor, as well as second place with Strauss Romance in D minor for Harp and Cello with his sister, Emily Beard, on the harp.
Thomas chamber music experience includes collaborating with numerous artists such as Peter Allen, Marc Djokic, Jasmine Schnarr, Kati Gleiser, and Caroline Leonardelli. Thomas was recently part of a string quartet that won the McGill Chamber Music Competition 2014 that took them to Austria to take part in the Salzburger Kammermusikfest where they received coachings from Wolfgang Redik and Paul Roczek at the Mozarteum.
Thomas is currently studying for an Artist Diploma at McGill University, after completing his Bachelor of Music Honors Cello Performance (also at McGill University), both under the excellent tutelage of Yegor Dyachkov. Part of his orchestral training at McGill includes playing as principal and section cellist with the McGill Symphony Orchestra under the artistic direction of Alexis Hauser.