Thomas Crawford

Artistic Director and Conductor

Maestro Crawford's training as a conductor, composer, and impresario make him uniquely qualified to champion the cause of a period instrument orchestra for New York City. He has conducted outstanding artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Dawn Upshaw. He has released numerous recordings with the ACO. Mr. Crawford has been recognized for his teaching of children and adults through school programs and lectures.

Music Director and Founder of the ACO, Mr. Crawford is active in numerous musical disciplines as conductor, composer, and organist. As a conductor, Mr. Crawford is a champion of both historically accurate performance styles of the Baroque and Classical repertoire and of new American music. He has distinguished himself — as a composer in many idioms and has been especially prolific in vocal music.

Mr. Crawford founded the Fairfield Orchestra in 1980. In 1985 he also started the Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy, Connecticut's first regularly performing period instrument ensemble. In 1998, after achieving success in performances and professional recordings with both orchestras, Mr. Crawford changed the name of his ensembles to American Classical Orchestra in order to focus exclusively on period instruments. Mr. Crawford's orchestral training comes from Samuel Adler of the Eastman School of Music and from Hugo Fiorato, Conductor of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. He holds a Master of Arts degree in composition from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music. Mr. Crawford has held church and choral directing positions in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He has served as Director of the Westchester Boys Choir and has guest conducted numerous oratorio choirs throughout the region. His choral training comes from Westminster Choir College in Princeton.

Mr. Crawford has led his orchestras in Carnegie Hall, on the Lincoln Center Great Performers Series and, most recently, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has attracted many outstanding artists, including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, André Watts, Richard Goode and Victor Borge. Mr. Crawford is also responsible for the Orchestra's numerous international recordings with such great artists as Malcolm Bilson and Keith Jarrett.