Thomas Rimes has emerged as one of the most outstanding Australian conductors working throughout the world during the past two decades. Born in the Fiji Islands, he grew up in Hobart, Tasmania, where he received his early musical training in pianoforte, organ, choral singing and conducting. He completed his formal musical training in the United States, where he was the recipient of the Sir Georg Solti U.S. Foundation Awardfor an operatic conductor/pianist. In 2003 Thomas was awarded a Masters Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Memphis.
Having completed his Masters Studies, Thomas pursued further studies in New York City with such renowned teachers as Paul Nadler from the Metropolitan Opera and David Gilbert from the Manhattan School of Music and worked for two years under the artistic mentorship of Placido Domingo as part of the Domingo/Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera. During his time in Washington D.C., Thomas appeared as a symphonic and operatic conductor at the New Opera Festival of Rome and was assistant conductor for numerous operatic productions at Washington National Opera, Opera de Monte-Carlo and Baltimore Opera. At this time he also appeared regularly as a pianoforte accompanist in numerous concerts throughout Europe, the United States, China and Australia.
From 2009 to 2014, Thomas was engaged at the Staatstheater Kassel in Kassel, Germany, where he worked as a Kapellmeister. After making his German operatic conducting debut with Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor he conducted a wide-ranging repertoire consisting of romantic German and Italian opera, Baroque opera, operetta, ballet and musicals.
From 2014 to 2019, Thomas was the Second Kapellmeister at the Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. In this position he has conducted a wide range of opera and musical repertoire. He has also been active at the theatre composing and arranging music for productions at the theatre, most notably for the world premiere of the innovative “Steampunk Opera” Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober.
In addition to his conducting activities, Thomas is an active composer of opera, musicals and vocal music. He presented the American premiere of his first opera The Long Ride Home, for which he also wrote the story and libretto, in New York City in 2006 and the Australian premiere in Sydney in 2008. Thomas completed a second work, the comic opera “Annus Horribilis” which will be recorded by the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in September 2022. Thomas has recanted completed composed major works for the MONA FOMA festival, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Terrapin Puppet Theatre. He is currently in the process of writing a musical titled O.T.O., based on Shakespeare’s Othello. Since he began his work as the Director of Music at St. David’s Cathedral Thomas has premiered several new choral compositions with the Cathedral Choir, including a new Communion Setting for Soprano and Alto voices.
Biographie - Deutsch
Der Pianist und Dirigent Thomas Rimes wurde auf den Fidschi- Inseln geboren und wuchs in Australien auf. Seine musikalische Ausbildung begann er in seinem Heimatland mit dem Klavierspiel und Chorgesang. Spaeter studierte er Jura in Sydney und schloss daran ein Studium in Klavier, Dirigieren und Orgel an. Zudem widmete er sich in dieser Zeit auch dem Jazz und der Popmusik. Im Anschluss an dieses Studium absolvierte Rimes an der University of Memphis (USA) seinen Master in Dirigieren bei Pu-Qi Jiang. Mittlerweile war er auch international als Dirigent taetig, unter anderem bei dem New Opera Festival in Rom. Von 2003-2006 lebte Rimes in New York und arbeitete dort als Dirigent und auch als Komponist und brachte ausserdem seine erste Oper auf die Buehne (The Long Ride Home), fuer die er auch das Libretto verfasste. 2005 wurde ihm fuer seine Arbeit als junger Operndirigent der Preis der Sir Georg Solti Foundation verliehen. 2006 war er als Pianist beim Domingo/Cafritz Young Artist Program an der Washington National Opera taetig. Ab 2007/2008 assistierte er am Kennedy Centre in Washington bei Don Giovanni und Rigoletto und stand dort 2007 auch als Dirigent von Le Nozze di Figaro am Pult. Ab 2014 bis 2019 war Thomas Rimes am Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen als 2. Kapellmeister engagiert.