Bio

Thomas Linger, multi-award-winning pianist, was born in 1993 in the small Appalachian town of Waynesville, North Carolina. After attending the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he quickly took the music scene by storm by winning first place in the American Jazz Pianist Competition, and subsequently moving to New York City in 2017. He was one of five finalists in the 2023 American Pianists Awards, a jazz piano competition with the largest grand prize worth over $200,000. Thomas is now one of the most highly sought-after performers, composers, and teachers, having performed worldwide in some of the most prestigious venues including The Village Vanguard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy's Club, as well as longstanding residencies at Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Ornithology, and many more. In addition to his skills as a natural bandleader, he is also both a consummate solo pianist and sideman. He has performed alongside many current star luminaries including Peter Bernstein, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth, Brandon Lee, Joe Magnarelli, David Williams, Tyler Mitchell, Doug Weiss, Francisco Mela, Terell Stafford and many others. Thomas's most recent album Out In It is available from Cellar Records, featuring his quartet with Peter Bernstein, Joe Farnsworth, and Yasushi Nakamura.