G. Thomas Allen

Award-winning artist G. Thomas Allen is a highly sought-after contemporary voice specialist with an emphasis on jazz performance, sacred music, pop/R&B, and musical theatre.

Known for his innovative pedagogical approach to bridging the gaps between genres, Prof. Allen has worked in the public school setting, collegiate and private. He has a past affiliation with ChiArts Conservatory as the director of contemporary and jazz voice and is currently on the voice faculty of Columbia College of Chicago. He has appeared as a guest lecturer at Peabody Conservatory and has been a presenter at conferences, workshops, and masterclasses throughout the U.S. and aboard, including the American Choral Director Association (ACDA), Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA), and Royal Melbourne Philharmonic (RMP) in Australia.

As a recording artist, he is a lead vocalist on the Grammy-nominated album “Choirmaster” (Motown 2020), leading an arrangement of “Let There be Peace on Earth” with over one million views on YouTube. Prof. Allen’s self-titled album debuted as the No. 1 jazz album on iTunes (eOne Nashville), which led to him winning the 2021 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. He is the first male in history to hold the prestigious SASSY Award — Downbeat Magazine. Prof. Allen has other noted collaborations and recordings with Marquis Hill (2014 Thelonius Monk Competition Winner), Pharez Whitted, and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers (JMFS).

Prof. Allen is distinguished in the world of opera. As a former principal artist with Los Angeles Opera, Prof. Allen was a part of the historical production of “Dido and Aeneas,” directed by Australian director Barrie Kosky, which made Mark Swed’s best classical moments of 2014 (Los Angeles Times). He has worked with the late David Baker, jazz educator and conductor of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, guest soloist with the Black Pearl Chamber Ensemble, and former member of Soulful Symphony.

Prof. Allen has appeared on National Public Radio (NPR) and Cable Network News (CNN), and performed at some of the top concert halls in America, including The Kennedy Center, NJPAC, and Carnegie Hall.

• B.A. — Music, Vocal Performance, Morgan State University
• B.A. — Speech Communication, Morgan State University

• MUS 0250-11
• MUS 5500-09

• 2021 SASSY Award
• 2021 Legacy: B.Q. Production Collective Grant

Reviews

All About Jazz
Downbeat Magazine
JazzTimes
Huffington Post
Broadway World
Los Angeles Times
Baltimore Sun