Thomas Mann Jr.

Thomas Mann graduated with a B.A. in Music at Texas State University with a focus on piano and composition and completed his Master of Music in Composition in December, 2018. Mann is currently Director of Orchestras and Classical Guitar Ensembles as well as the Fine Arts Department Chair at W. Charles Akins High School in the Austin Independent School District of Texas. Mann is a board member of The National Association of Composers, USA-Texas Chapter as well as an active member of several other organizations and associations. He plays Piano, Hammond Organ, Rhodes, Guitar, and Bass in several genres and with various artists around Texas. Along with teaching and live performances, he does studio work, arranging and composing for pop, jazz, and modern works. Mann has played with many popular artists nationally and throughout Texas and has experience on large stages, opening for National and International acts as well as experience performing and conducting art music. 

Mann has written and premiered pieces at conferences across the country and has won composition competitions at the University and Professional Organization level. His catalog of compositions has been rapidly expanding and gaining attention, notably a set of art songs that have had repeat calls for performances and the coming release of a non-traditional quartet piece with PARMA recordings. He studied with composition professors Dr. Thomas Clark, Dr. Michael Ippolito, Richard Hall, and Dr. Russell Reipe along with acclaimed pianist Dr. Washington Garcia at Texas State University, and Dr. Bruce Pennycook of the University of Texas. 

As Mann continues to compose music and pedagogy for his orchestras along with popular, commercial, and contemporary music, he always tries to keep his grasp beyond his reach and strives to be as well rounded and disciplined in music as possible while driving for more knowledge and ability without sacrificing creativity in performance, composition, and teaching practices.