Alun Thomas mstat
Originally from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales Alun has been involved with the Alexander Technique since his first lessons with Vivien Mackie in 1983; he's been teaching since 2001.
He combines his work as an Alexander teacher with a career as a professional violinist (a delicate balancing act..), playing mainly as a recitalist and chamber musician, in which role he has given chamber music concerts and recitals for BBC Radio Three and numerous music clubs and societies.
Alun studied the violin at the RNCM with Yossi Zivoni and Lydia Mordkovitch at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
He has performed, recorded and toured regularly throughout the UK and internationally with many leading UK orchestras and in this capacity he has played as a leader, principal player and section violinist with several ensembles such as Royal Northern Sinfonia and BBC orchestras, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Britten Sinfonia, London City Ballet, including several years as Co-Principal 2nd, and Sub-Principal 1st violin in the 1990s with the former Bournemouth Sinfonietta.
He is much in demand as a violin teacher and chamber music coach, enabling others to make use of the Alexander principles as they apply to music making. A recent initiative has been the setting up of a weekend course for violinists and violists: www.alexandertechniqueforviolinists.com.
For 7 years until 2019, he was Alexander Technique Coordinator at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where he was a busy teacher, working regularly with music students from all disciplines and also, more generally, at the associated health centre at Laban. He runs the Alexander Technique Consultancy, and taught for over 10 years at the Bloomsbury Alexander Centre in Central London, introducing hundreds of people to the AT.
He lives and and also teaches in Windsor, Berkshire.
Alun enjoys presenting the Alexander Technique to people of all backgrounds and has given workshops to diverse groups such as musicians and actors and other performing artists. He gives regular Saturday workshops at the Bloomsbury Centre and classes over 4-weeks as an introduction to the 'Technique' and also gives shorter introductory talks.
Engagements have included workshops: "Platforms for Expressions - the Physicality of String Playing, at the 2015 International Alexander Congress in Limerick, 'An Open and Shut Case', about musicians' preparation, also at the International Congress for Alexander Teachers in Oxford in August 2004.
He has given many workshops to all instrumental groups at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, including a number on the 'Physicality of String Playing'.
In 2016 Alun was the organiser and host for the 9th International Conference for 'Alexander Teachers working in Music Education'. This took place at Laban Dance, part of Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Greenwich.
