Born in Paris in 1988, Thomas Dunford discovered the lute at the age of nine, thanks to his first teacher Claire Antonini. He completed his studies in 2006 at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris (CNR), when he obtained a unanimous 1st Prize with honors in the class of CharlesEdouard Fantin. Thomas continued his studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel with Hopkinson Smith, and participated in several master classes with artists the caliber of Rolf Lislevand and Julian Bream, and in workshops with Eugène Ferré, Paul O’Dette, Pascale Boquet, Benjamin Perrot and Eduardo Eguez. He was awarded his Bachelor’s degree in 2009.

From September 2003 through to January 2005, Thomas gave his first performances playing the role of the lutenist in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on stage at the Comédie Française. Since then, Thomas has played recitals in New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Washington Kennedy Center, the Vancouver recital society, Cal performances at Berkeley, the Banff center, the festivals of Saintes, Utrecht, and Maguelone. He made numerous solo or ensemble appearances in the most prestigious European festivals including Ambronay, Arc La Bataille, Bozar, La Chaise-Dieu, Nantes, Saintes, Utrecht and many others. He has also performed further afield in England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Czech Republic, United States, Israel, China, Japan and India.

Thomas’ first solo CD Lachrimae recorded for the French label Alpha in 2012, was unanimously acclaimed by critics and was awarded the Caecilia prize of 2013, BBC magazine calling him the “Eric Clapton of the lute”. His extensive discography includes John Dowland’s music with Jeni Melia and Christopher Goodwin; Four CDs with La Capella Mediterranea of music by Barbara Strozzi, the works Il Diluvio Universale and Nabucco by Falvetti and another work by Zamponi; two CDs of works by Farina and Romero with Clématis Ensemble; violin sonatas with Monica Hugget; two CDs of Forqueray and Dowland with Julien Léonard; Vivaldi with Nicola Benedetti; three recordings of Vivaldi with La Serenissima; Bacilly and Ferrabosco with A 2 Violes Esgales; Praetorius with Cappricio Stravagante; three CDs of Zelenka, Fasch and bassoon arias with Marsyas; Six CDs with Arcangelo including Guadani arias for countertenor Iestyn Davies, Handel arias for Chris Perves, arias for Anna Prohaska, Monteverdi Madrigals, Couperin’s Lecons de ténèbres, and Charpentier’s Lecons de Ténèbres and many more.