Tommy Morgan started his career as a performer. During the middle years, he devoted himself to the studio industry in Hollywood. Recently, he has resumed a more active career as a performer.
He has performed in concert in over 30 countries. He has given four command performances. He has been soloist with:
- The USAF Symphony Orchestra (1 1/2 years)
- The San Antonio Symphony Orchestra
- The COTA Symphony Orchestra
- The Beach Cities Symphony Orchestra
- The Burbank Symphony Orchestra
- The Henry Mancini Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl
- The Pierce College Community Symphony Orchestra
- The Pacific Symphony Orchestra
- The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl (A Tribute to Mancini)
- The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at Disney Concert Hall - numerous
occasions
- The English Chamber Orchestra (expanded to 94 pieces)
Tommy's most recent activities have been:
- Presented clinic at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, with James Thatcher at The International Horn Symposium; subject "Ensemble and Solo Phrasing", June 1997.
- Soloist with John Barry conducting The English Chamber Orchestra performing "The Man,The Movies, The Music" at Royal Albert Hall in London, April 1998.
- Soloist with Richard Carpenter at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California, September 1998; and at Foxwoods Resort/Casino in Connecticut, April 1999.
- Soloist with John Barry conducting The English Chamber Orchestra performing "Bond and Beyond" at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England, and at Royal Albert Hall in London, April 1999.
- Soloist with Burt Bacharach on the Academy Awards Show 2000, March 26, 2000.
- Received Lifetime Achievement Award from The Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica at the convention in Denver, CO. August 18, 2001
- 2002 saw recordings for the America West Suite for the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics, as well as recordings with James Taylor, Phil Collins, Barry Manilow, and Burt Bacharach (for Aretha Franklin).
- 2003 saw a diminished workload for everyone in the studio recording industry in Hollywood, but gave Tommy Morgan more time for: an appearance with Richard Carpenter at the Carpenter
Performing Arts Center and a return concert in Carson City, NV., and preparation for his new album Classics Lite Volume 2, to be recorded in early 2004. He also did sessions for several motion pictures as well as the DVD release of The Lion King.
- 2004 saw Tommy Morgan spend a week in Ann Arbor, Michigan in April as a featured instrumentalist in a concert and recording of William Bolcom's Songs of Innocence and Experience, with a total number of performers (choirs, orchestra and soloists) of 450. April also saw the final sessions for Tommy's latest album, Classics Lite Volume 2.
- 2005: An interesting year. In March, Tommy had
an appearance on American Idol,
playing the introduction to a number featuring all
of the contestants singing He Ain't Heavy, He's
My Brother (which he had originally played on
the hit record with The Hollys).
April saw him going to New Mexico for a week to play
in the pit for the world premier of Rock of Angels,
an Oratorio written by good friend Gerald
Fried. A session playing Bass Harmonica
on two tracks for Brian Wilson's new
Christmas Album, an appearance as soloist with the Los
Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Walt
Disney Concert Hall performing a Symphonies
for Youth concert for a tribute to Henry Mancini
and two days with Randy Newman playing
blues harmonica for the animated feature "Cars" during
the following month, provided a most diverse spring.
In December, the Los Angeles Philharmonic called
again, this time to get four more harmonica players
to perform a contemporary piece by Kurtag: Quasi
Una Fantasia. The harmonica
ensemble performed four concerts in December at the Walt
Disney Concert Hall with a chamber-sized
version of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
- 2006: This year began with the usual studio recordings.
In April, the Los Angeles Philharmonic called
again, this time to play a contemporary work by Unsuk
Chin: Cantatrix Sopranica, for
17 instruments and three singers. This was for a
Tuesday Night Contemporary Concert Series. The part
was difficult, and required 9 different harmonicas,
incuding 2 specially tuned chromatics. The work was
excellent, and very well received. 2006 also saw
the beginning of a new venture: Tommy started working
as a featured entertainer on cruise ships. His first
cruise was Los Angeles to Hawaii.
- 2007:
Began with the usual studio recordings. Tommy
spent a week in April finishing the score to Ratatouille,
the Disney-Pixar animated feature released in summer
of 2007. He does several Simpsons TV
shows each season, and happened to be called for
the 400th episode of that show, complete with cake
and a celebration.
- 2008: This year really
started in February, with a 10 day cruise to
the Mexican
Riviera. Two days fter returning home, there was a performance at the Walt
Disney Concert Hall with Bernadette Peters. The piece
was Shenandoah, and was a 4 1/2 minute duet, with just harmonica
and voice. April saw another cruise, this time a flight to Costa Rica,
5 days on the MS Volendam to Puerto Vallarta, and then the flight home. In May
another very interesting project, this time a suite from a new opera, The
Grapes of Wrath, performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with
the Los Angeles Master Chorale, 10 soloists and
a 70-piece Symphony Orchestra. In December there was an appearance
as soloist with The American Youth Symphony with David
Newman conducting. This
concert at Royce Hall, UCLA, was the first of 3 concerts honoring the film misic
of Jerry Goldsmith. Tommy recreated the solos he had originally played for the
film for the Goldsmith score to A Patch of Blue, 43 years before.
There was also a 2 hour symposium in the afternoon exploring the early Goldsmith
years and Jerry's association (as well as Tommy's) with the television series
The Twilight Zone.
- 2009
continues with Tommy Morgan continuing to play
cruises, recordings (Burt Bacharach and
TV's Family Guy), and personal appearances.In August, a trip to Sacramento for the annual SPAH Convention (Society for the . Preservation and Advancement of Harmonica) was a great experience. Tommy was involved in several clinics, closing the Saturday Night Show playing his 50 minute act.
- 2010 brought a continuation of a reduced recording schedule, but brought just about the right balance of work, time off, practice and fun time with family. There were 2 big movies, one especially, on the schedule for the Spring and Summer; Toy Story III and Dinner for Schmucks (all on bass harmonica). 2010 also brought a new work by Andrea Datzman called Carrying the Banner. The world premier was performed at Zipper Hall in Los . Angeles with the Colburn School Orchestra and Tommy Morgan as soloist. A 3-month project with classic guitarist Gregg Nestor was completed in the fall. The CD will soon be released, with slightly over an hour of suites and songs from Classic Broadway Musicals. Other CDs included tracks recorded with Neil Diamond, . Michael Jackson (posthumously with a never before released song) and Barry Manilow.
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