"Thomas was a natural leader and team player, always supporting his fellow student performers and composers by directly participating in their ensembles as needed. He is very giving with his time and energy, and he established himself in Pepperdine's music program as a wise, experienced, and trustworthy upperclassman.

He recently composed a score for a Mary Pickford silent film, "So Near, Yet So Far," for a nontet chamber ensemble with piano and percussion. Throughout the project, which began fall of 2013, he was on time with meeting our goals of achievement set in our studio lessons, and his level of composition was extremely high. He possesses a fine ability to incorporate motivic development throughout his music, and the score is beautifully notated, musically interesting, and it complements the film very well. The world premiere of this with the film was given at Pepperdine [in April 2014]."

Dr. N. Lincoln Hanks — Chair of Composition, Pepperdine University — Malibu, CA