About the Artistic Director
Thomas W. Douglas
Artistic Director & Conductor
Thomas W. Douglas is a compelling and passionate conducting having performed more than 250 opera, oratorio, orchestral and musical theater productions. He is the Artistic Director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh who is regularly receiving accolades for innovative, creative and dramatically provocative productions. He has also been the music director of the Newton Symphony in Kansas. Career highlights include conducting Webber’s Phantom of the Opera in Basel, Switzerland, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, the Pittsburgh premiere of the classic silent films The Passion of Joan of Arc, with live orchestra and chorus, the U.S. premiere of David Chesky’s The Agnostic, the rousing Camina Burana Africana, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni and a production of Ain’t Misbehavin‘ in Malaysia.
He works regularly as Musical Director at Music Theater Wichita where he has done many productions including Smokey Joe’s Café, 9 to 5, and Ragtime with Darcie Roberts Hairspray, The Full Monty, Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast and Les Misérables among many others. and has worked with the Anchorage Opera, Pittsburgh’s City Theater, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Canton Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Dallas Symphony, River City Brass Band and the Pittsburgh Symphony. He has also conducted classical guitarist and Latin Grammy winner, Berta Rojas and Tony winner, Kelli O’Hara. Mr. Douglas has been the recipient of the Mary Jane Teall Award and the Robert Frankle awards for his contribution to theatre in Wichita, KS and Pittsburgh, PA.
Thomas has enjoyed the stage roles of Amonasro in Elton John’s Aida, Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors. He has been a vocal soloist with the River City Brass, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Symphony, Canton Symphony, the Children’s Festival Chorus and sings frequently with jazz legend, Joe Negri in his Mass of Hope. Mr. Douglas is the Director of Opera Studies and the Director of Choral Activities at Carnegie Mellon University and is thrilled to look forward to future pops concerts with Leslie Odom Jr., Tony winner for his role in Hamilton.