Thomas Stevens

Thomas Stevens (July 29, 1938 – July 14, 2018) was an American trumpeter, composer, and author. Thomas Stevens was appointed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1965 by then music director, Zubin Mehta, who named him principal trumpet in 1972, a position he held until 2000. He served in the same capacity with the "World Orchestra for Peace," Sir Georg Solti's hand-picked group assembled in Geneva for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, and the Casals Festival Orchestra in Puerto Rico. The Los Angeles appointment was preceded by a stint in the U.S. Army as solo trumpeter with the West Point Band followed by a one year engagement with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his work as an orchestral musician, Mr.Stevens has performed and recorded as a soloist and chamber musician with major organizations worldwide, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and during the early 1980s he was invited by Pierre Boulez to participate in a special new brass music project with the Ensemble intercontemporain in Paris. He was a founding member of the Los Angeles Brass Quintet and also maintained an active presence in the Hollywood recording studios for many years.