Thomas Bookhout has been Chorus Master of The Phoenix Symphony Chorus since 2012 and brings to his craft a vast experience in the choral art, preparing and conducting symphony, opera, university, community, school, and church choruses. He prepares the Symphony Chorus on its widely varied and challenging masterworks repertoire, such as Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, Mozart’s and Verdi’s Requiems, Poulenc’s Gloria, Kodaly’s Psalmus Hungaricus, Estévez’s Cantata Criolla, Pärt’s In Principio, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Handel’s Messiah; as well as exciting pops performances on the music of the season, movies, and video games. The Symphony Chorus has grown during his tenure, and enjoys a reputation for stunning performances, engaging rehearsals, and inspiring camaraderie.
Bookhout conducts The Phoenix Symphony Chorus in performances of its own in Phoenix, and in recent years at Carnegie Hall, in Vienna and Salzburg, and in Poland. His work preparing and conducting the Chorus on Poulenc’s Gloria in Vienna was hailed as “stimulating and … breathtaking.” He led the Chorus in the world-premiere of Dan Forrest’s Psalm of Ascension for chorus and orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
Previously, Bookhout was Chorus Master for the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, where he prepared its chorus for symphonic performances including Britten’s War Requiem, Vaughan Williams’s Sea Symphony, and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast; and for fully staged operas including Carmen, Il Trovatore, and Die Fledermaus, earning notable reviews in the American Record Guide and Opera News.
As an educator, Bookhout has held positions at Ottawa University and several of the finest private and charter schools in Phoenix. He currently works in the Great Hearts charter school system. He also served as Minister of Music and Choir Director at Camelback Bible Church, Music Director of New York’s Taghkanic Chorale, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Charleston, WV, and Director of Music at the elite Stony Brook School in New York.
Dr. Bookhout is a native of New York state and earned his MM at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester and his DMA at Arizona State University. He has served on the board of the AZ ACDA and is a member of numerous professional music and educational organizations. Tom and his wife Jeanne’s family includes three adult children and their families, and an ever-increasing number of perfect grandchildren.
