He was a flautist, organist and orchestral conductor born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
He started his career with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and gave his first performance as a flautist with them in 1944. He appeared as a soloist with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra in 1946 and became a member of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 1955.
From 1958 to 1960 he worked as the organist and choirmaster at Ann Street Presbyterian Church in Brisbane and in 1959 he founded The Patrick Thomas Singers.
He became Resident Conductor for the Australian Ballet and Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust Opera Company and from 1965 to 1972, was the Assistant Conductor of the South Australian Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Adelaide Singers who are the National Radio Chorus of ABC. He also held positions as Chief Conductor of the Tasmanian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, Artistic Director of the Wellington City Opera in New Zealand and been Federal Conductor-in-Residence at ABC.
Often giving performances as a guest conductor he performed in twelve countries that include South Africa, Russia, Germany and England.
He received honours and awards on several occasions including being made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) and an Honorary Life Member of the Fellowship of Australian Composers, as well as receiving the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award and an Australian Creative Arts Fellowship. He was also a Patron of the Music Teacher’s Association of New South Wales.
He died in August 2017 when he was 85 years old.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra recordings
Warsaw Concerto (Richard Addinsell)
DG 413 259-2 (CD: Warsaw Concerto)
Conductor – Patrick Thomas
Piano – Isador Goodman
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