director
KATIE THOMAS
ACADEMY DIRECTOR
GradCertEd, BA(Mus)
Katie Thomas is a Melbourne-based percussionist, timpanist, and educator. She is the founder and academy director of the Victorian Percussion Academy, and the Footscray Percussion Academy.
Katie is a touring musician, and has travelled and performed in England, France, Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, China, Singapore, Japan, Thaialand, Bolivia and around Australia. Katie has collaborated and performed with other international and local artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Hélène Grimaud, Alexandre Da Costa, James Morrison, Lior Attar and Nigel Westlake, and has performed pre-show entertainment for Katy Perry and Taylor Henderson.
In 2023 she formed a duo with Euphonium player James Blackford (https://www.blackfordmusic.com/) and the pair recently performed at the Royal Overseas League in London. In May they joined the Cory Band for the European Championships in Sweden.
At the beginning of 2020 she played with the D2 Drumline for the T20 Women's Cricket World Cup at the MCG, for 86,000 people.
Katie also plays for the Melbourne Opera, the Royal Melbourne Air Force Band (civilian), Zelman Symphony Orchestra, Geelong Symphony Orchestra and many other orchestras and ensembles. She has taught at Melbourne schools including Xavier College and Marcellin College, as well as being the residential coordinator for the Australian Youth Orchestra and tutoring the Hyde Street Youth Band.
Education
Katie completed her undergraduate music studies in 2015 at the University of Western Australia.
In 2020 Katie completed her postgraduate in Education, specialising in Specific Learning Difficulties and Disabilities in students,
In 2022 Katie won the Ormond Exhibitions Scholarship for excellence in her studies. She auditioned for and was accepted into the Royal Northern College for Music in the UK, and completed a six month intensive on the associate student program.
Katie is now currently completing her Masters of Music (Performance Teaching) at the University of Melbourne.
Tours
In 2011 Katie travelled around Europe and performed a snare solo in Westminster Abbey and Australia House (UK).
In 2013 Katie travelled to Bolivia, South America where she was a visiting artist and teacher at the Conservatorium of La Paz.
In 2016 she toured with the Australian Youth Orchestra around Netherlands, Germany and China with French pianist Hélène
Grimaud, finishing the Australian leg of the tour in the Sydney Opera House.
Also in 2016, she toured as Principal Percussionist and Principal Timpanist of the West Australian Youth Orchestra to Singapore
and Japan with Canadian violinist Alexandre Da Costa.
In 2018 Katie completed a tour to England, France and Belgium with the award-winning Footscray-Yarraville City Band.
In 2023 she toured with the Cory Band to Sweden for the European Championships.
In 2024 Katie toured with the Desford Band to Thailand and Singapore for their East-Asia tour.
Qualifications and awards
2023 Royal Northern College of Music (UK)
Associate masters student
2022 Ormond Exhibitions Scholarship for excellence
University of Melbourne
2021 University of Melbourne (Australia)
Masters of Music (Performance Teaching)
2020 Open Percussion Solo Winner
Victorian Bands League Championships
2020 University of Melbourne (Australia)
Graduate Certificate of Education (Specific Learning Difficulties)
2015 University of Western Australia
Bachelor of Arts (Music Performance)
2011 Tom Kent Scholarship
Find out Katie's upcoming gigs here: Katie Thomas Percussion