EPK
Described as “extraordinarily talented” by Houston Public Media, Tomás Jonsson is an internationally recognized pianist and composer based in the Baltimore/DC Area. Tomás is known for his ability to perform with any lineup, in any genre, for any audience. He was classically trained from the age of 5, but decided to pursue jazz in high school after being blown away by Art Tatum’s 1949 recording of “Blue Skies.” Shortly thereafter, he began to explore Black Gospel music; his 5 years of experience playing in historically-Black Baptist churches across Texas have infused his playing with a gospel sensibility that is uncommon for a classically trained musician. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Classical Piano (mentored by Brian Connelly) from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in 2022, and a Master's Degree in Jazz Piano (mentored by Dave Meder) from the University of North Texas in 2024. During his time at UNT, he served as pianist in the legendary One O'Clock Lab Band, offering him the opportunity to collaborate with guest artists including Helen Sung, Billy Childs, Steve Davis, and Rufus Reid.
In March 2025, Tomás was announced as one of three finalists in the Inaugural Ruth Dupont Wales Collegiate Composition Competition for his song "Close to You" ft. Caity Gyorgy. In November 2024, Tomás won the BMI/PeerMusic Latin Music Award for his original composition “Ocurrencias,” featuring a diverse assortment of Latin-American grooves. In February 2024, Tomás won 2nd Place (and Best Jazz Ballad) at the UNISA International Jazz Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa after four rounds of intense competition with 11 other contestants from all over the world. In May of 2023, Tomás won 1st Place at the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, subsequently performing at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival featuring Ulysses Owens, Jr. & Reuben Rogers.
Other notable performances include a March 2024 performance with the Javier Nero Jazz Orchestra, a July 2024 show with Benny Benack III at Jazz, TX, June 2024 performances with the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Big Band directed by Christian McBride, and 2023 performances with Nick Finzer Sextet and Big Band in DFW. In March of this year, Tomás performed at the 2025 IGA Guatemala Jazz Festival with Guatemalan jazz singer Dani Toralla as part of their series of concerts promoting their recent Brazilian Jazz EP entitled “Two Percent”. Their duo recordings together earned them a 2024 Downbeat Student Music Award for Latin Group Outstanding Performance. Tomás has also released original singles with Benny Benack III and 3x Juno-winning phenomenon Caity Gyorgy.
In Fall 2025 he expects to release his next album entitled “The Unsung Sinatra,” which explores obscure deep-cut Sinatra tunes that have been totally forgotten by mainstream jazz (“Should I,” “Sheila,” “I Guess I'll Have to Dream the Rest,” "Maybe You'll Be There" etc). The album is composed of fresh original arrangements for a 6-piece band featuring Basie-band alumnus Brad Leali on saxophones. He hopes this project will further expand the Great American Songbook to include these forgotten gems.
