Musicians

Described by critics as an artist who "plays from the heart," Thomas Folan is a conductor of works for orchestra and choir. With a command of rhetorical musical gesture and a love of language, Folan adds his unique voice to a wide range of choral and orchestral repertoire ranging from the 16th to the 21st centuries. American musicologist Alfred Mann predicts that Folan is "headed for an auspicious future."

As Artistic Director and Conductor of Publick Musick, Thomas Folan has built the ensemble into a nationally recognized baroque orchestra and choir. The Ithaca Journal said, "Folan was successful in pulling from his singers those clues to the composers that countless conductors have tried to pull from their choirs with no avail." Folan is an expert in the music of J. S. Bach, particularly of the large-scale choral works. Folan's list of founding directorships and conducting posts include Music's Recreation, a family-oriented concert series and presenting organization; the ensemble Sine Nomine, a Renaissance choir; and Bach Festivals in Ithaca, Elmira, and Rochester, New

Thomas Folan recently signed a contract with the recording label Musica Omnia to record works of J. S. Bach. The first recording in this series is a two-disc set of the Lutheran Masses, released in 2006. His first Christmas album, Aural Borealis: Baroque Choral and Instrumental Music for the Christmas Season, received outstanding reviews. American Record Guide called the recording "marvelous" and Ben Ohmart of the Muse's Muse said, "[Aural Borealis is] filled with ... flawless playing. The tracks shine in the Baroque tradition."

Thomas Folan has held faculty positions at colleges and universities including Skidmore College, Cornell University, and the University of Rochester (NY) and has served as a music panelist on the New York State Council on the Arts. He is a frequent speaker on radio about the relevance of art in society and the importance of music as a vehicle for social change.