Chadwick Thomas is a clarinetist and conductor based in Hartford, Connecticut. He performs as a chamber musician and orchestral player throughout the United States, with appearances at major venues including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. He has performed with the Greater Bridgeport, Hartford, and Ridgefield Symphonies, Symphony in C, and is a member of the New York City–based Wa Sinfonietta. An active chamber musician, Thomas has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Vadim Gluzman, Donald Palma, James VanDemark, Robert Black, Lucy Shelton, and Ayako Oshima. He is a core musician at the Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival in Alabama, the clarinetist of the Ecor Quartet, and appears regularly in recital with pianist Yujin Lee.

A prizewinner in several competitions, Thomas won the Paranov Concerto Competition and performed Jean Françaix’s Clarinet Concerto with the Hartt Orchestra in 2023. He has received first prize in the NOLA Chamber Fest Competition, awards from the International Clarinet Association’s Clareidoscope Competition, and special prizes from Peabody Conservatory and the Louisiana State University School of Music.

As a conductor, Thomas has led the Foot in the Door Ensemble, the Hartt Orchestra, and the Atlantic Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble. In fall 2025, he served as assistant conductor for a performance of Neely Bruce’s The Bill of Rights: Ten Amendments in Eight Motets at Wesleyan University.

An active educator, Thomas is adjunct faculty at The Hartt School, where he teaches orchestral repertoire for woodwinds. He also serves as instructor of clarinet at the Hartt Community Division, Cheshire Academy, and Wesleyan University. He previously spent three summers on faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp, teaching clarinet and chamber music and performing in numerous faculty recitals. For three years, he directed the Hartt Clarinet Ensemble, leading the group to a performance at ClarinetFest 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. His additional conference performances include appearances at the U.S. Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium and the Women Composers Festival of Hartford.

Originally from Eastern North Carolina, Dr. Thomas holds degrees from the Peabody Institute, the University of Michigan, and The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. His principal clarinet teachers include Ayako Oshima, Charles Neidich, Chad Burrow, Daniel Gilbert, Alexander Fiterstein, Deborah Chodacki, and Douglas Moore-Monroe. He studied conducting with Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming.