Sarasota Orchestra commission

Twelve-year-old Isaac Thomas is making waves with his musical talent and creativity. Like a 21st-century Mozart, he started playing piano at the age of three and violin at four—and also like Mozart, he enjoyed improvising. This led naturally to composition, which he began officially when he was six. After winning numerous awards, he was accepted into Juilliard’s pre-college program when he was only 11—one of the youngest musicians ever admitted. His music has been performed in prestigious places, including the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and he has been featured on television in the United States on PBS, CBS, and Fox, as well as other news stations worldwide. As Thomas said in 2023, after his song All About Earth was selected to be performed during a free concert in Central Park, “I think an idea can come from almost anywhere. It can come from footsteps, people talking, car horns, and playing the piano. A simple three notes can just snowball.”