Thomas Pedersen's conducting career spans the United States: from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C and New York, and from Chicago to Branson, he has led orchestras, theatre bands, and other diverse ensembles in concert and staged productions of some of the most revered theatrical works in the repertoire.
Arena Stage
Jubilee
Photo by Margot Schulman.
The world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers shattered racial barriers in the U.S. and abroad, entertaining kings and queens. For centuries, the bold a cappella African American ensemble born on the campus of Fisk University has blended their rich voices together sharing a heritage of suffering, strength and endurance. Playwright and director Tazewell Thompson’s show traces the founding and early history of this amazing ensemble from its beginnings. Featuring uplifting spirituals and hymns including Diane Adams McDowell’s spectacular arrangements of “Wade in the Water,” “Ain’t That Good News,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” the creative team at Arena Stage, including Mr. Pedersen as Assistant Musical Director, brought the world premiere to the stage to resounding acclaim in 2019.
Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
Kenneth Lin’s (House of Cards) world-premiere drama turns the spotlight on U.S.-Russia relations when crude oil is the language of diplomacy and events that dominate today’s headlines are first set in motion. In one of the most pivotal moments in history, the Soviet Union has collapsed and in the ensuing rampage of hyper-capitalism, the Oligarchs, a new class of robber barons, plunge Russia into a terrifying dark age of chaos and corruption. When the richest and most ruthless Oligarch attempts to reform and open Russian markets to the world, he’s confronted by a young Vladimir Putin who is charting his own path to power. Arena Stage’s creative team, directed by Jackson Gray, brought this to the stage in the spring of 2019 with Mr. Pedersen serving as Music Coach and Consultant.
Long Beach Civic Light Opera
Nite Club Confidential with Barbara Eden & Gary Sandy
Man of La Mancha
"The pit band, led by N. Thomas Pedersen in his LBCLO debut, plays with authority,"
--Don Shirley, The Los Angeles Times
"N. Thomas Pedersen's direction is zesty and innovative,"
-- Bruce Feld of The Los Angeles Times
The Catholic University of America's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music
Kiss Me Kate
Choreographed by Robert Mintz, Directed by Roberta Gasbarre, Music Directed & Conducted by N. Thomas Pedersen
The Most Happy Fella
Matt Bassett, Director & Pauline Grossman, choreography
“Be ready for a big production when you see The Most Happy Fella at The Catholic University of America’s Hartke Theatre. A 27-piece orchestra, lavish staging, more than 30 actors, gorgeous singing, and delightful dance numbers are part of a three act show that runs close to 3 hours. The show has a little dialogue and a lot of music, some of which is in the style of show tunes and some distinctly more operatic. All of it is sung beautifully and when sound levels were adjusted after the first act, the audience was treated to standout performances.”
Benjamin T. Rome School of Music 50th Anniversary Gala at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
On Sunday, April 12, at 8 p.m., Thomas Pedersen took the stage to conduct Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story Concert Suite No. 2 as the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music returned to the Concert Hall at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to present a full orchestral and choral program that included current students as well as alumni, hich featured Musical Theatre students performing “I Feel Pretty,” “Jet Song,” “America,” and “Tonight Quintet” with the full Gala orchestra.
The concert also featured the world premiere of an orchestral fanfare by CUA undergraduate student Matthew Yost, as well as Carmina Burana and selections from West Side Story and Rodeo under the batons of Simeone Tartaglione, music director of the CUA Symphony Orchestra and student conducting major Dimitar Nicolov. The School of Music has a long history of performing at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, having been one of the first universities to perform there beginning in 1972 soon after the Center opened.
Finnian's Rainbow
Parker Esse, Director and Choreographer
“It’s the actors though that make the night so special. The chorus is large and all are extremely good dancers and singers. Musical Director N. Thomas Pedersen summons beautiful singing from them with the help of a complete orchestra that matched them but never overpowered them. [...] This is an ambitious score, for singer and instrumentalist, and everyone in the orchestra and on the stage succeeded wildly.”
Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theater
"Musical Director N. Thomas Pedersen is responsible for the surefire sound that rises up from the ensemble throughout the performance. Numbers like “One Day More” and “Do You Hear the People Sing?” are delivered with robust sound all around, hearty performance numbers that make the production enjoyable. Pedersen even finds a way to make the harmonies from “A Heart Full of Love” stand out in a pleasing fashion— a trick most difficult for every musical director." -- Amanda Gunther, DC Metro Theater Arts
From 1998 to 2014, Thomas Pedersen worked with an outstanding group of teaching artists at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre, an intensive first-class training program for young actors located in Rockville, Maryland. First as Music Director then later as Associate Artistic Director with Summer Dinner Theatre founder Susan Hoffman, he collaborated on more than thirty productions that featured talented young artists who have gone on to star in local, regional and Broadway productions and have outstanding and varied careers in the arts.