Thomas Wilkins

Thomas Alphonso Wilkins (born c.1956) is an American orchestra conductor. He is Music Director Laureate of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Artistic Advisor, Education and Community Engagement of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Virginia Symphony.

Early life and education Wilkins was born in Norfolk, Virginia and grew-up in a housing project, the son of a single mother and welfare recipient.

He worked as assistant director of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. He also worked as resident director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and The Florida Orchestra. He has directed orchestras across the United States, including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cincinnati Symphony, and the National Symphony. He has served as a guest conductor for the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, the Symphonies of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, San Diego, Seattle, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Utah. He has also conducted performances with the Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonics, the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, and others.

Awards and recognition

Following his debut season with the Boston Symphony, Wilkins was named to the "Best People and Ideas of 2011" by the Boston Globe. In 2014, he was honored with the "Outstanding Artist" award at the Nebraska Governor’s Arts Awards, and in 2018 Wilkins was the recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award from the Longy School of Music.