Thomas Flippin is an advocate for new-music and equality in classical music. In 2018, his guitar ensemble, Duo Noire, released their internationally-acclaimed album, Night Triptych, featuring "truly pathbreaking" and "greatly satisfying" premiere recordings of works by diverse women composers they commissioned in 2015. It was named Editor’s Choice for 2018 classical music albums by All Music, I Care if You Listen, and other publications.

Flippin is also an accomplished composer, with recent commissions and performances with the New York Philharmonic, American Composers Forum, Juilliard, the Guitar Foundation of America, the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society in partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and The James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

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2025

• CORRECTED: April 2025: Flippin performs Chris Brubeck Double Concerto for Classical and Blues Guitars with D.J. Sparr @ GREENSBORO SYMPHONY, North Carolina.

• March 5th, 2025: Solo Recital for Lent Music Meditations at First Presbyterian, NYC.

• February 2025: Yale Guitar Extravaganza with Duo Noire et al.

• January 9-26: Flippin joins Dan Schlosberg and Target Margin Theater for a reimagined Show Boat: A River @ NYU’s Skirball Theater, as featured in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

• Flippin commissioned by Juilliard to compose a new string quintet. To be premiered by Juilliard faculty in 2026.

• November: Duo Noire in recital TBA.

  2024

• Flippin joins Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theater as Guitar Specialist for an upcoming production.

• December 5th: Flippin is panelist on Classical Guitar Insider podcast in front of live audience for NYC Classical Guitar Society.

• November 17th 2:30 p.m.: Flippin’s work In The Abstract: Eight Sketches on Norman Lewis is performed by the guitar studio at Oberlin College (also live-streamed).

• November 9th 12:00 p.m EST.: Video premiere of Flippin’s work In The Abstract: Eight Sketches on Norman Lewis on Ex-Aequo’s Youtube channel.

• November 12-15: Yale Repertory Theater Workshop w/ Flippin as Guitar Specialist for an upcoming production by the Yale School of Drama.

• October 26, 2024: World premiere of Flippin’s new work for world-renowned virtuoso guitarist Jorge Caballero. Cleveland Classical Guitar Society.

• October 13, 2024: Chimera Quartet performs Flippin’s Childhood and Wrecked quartets at the University of Louisville Guitar Festival

• September 2024: Duo Noire @ University of Denver Guitar Festival

• August 3rd: Ex-Aequo Emerging Artists Initiative. Four chosen international virtuosos perform Flippin’s new work “In the Abstract: Eight Sketches on Norman Lewis” at Austin Classical Guitar. Professional video album recording produced by Drew Henderson to follow.

• June 6-9: @ Cleveland for James Stroud Competition. Premiere of Flippin’s composition set-piece Nail-Biter and judging.

• May 9th: Flippin performs at Diller-Quaile gala honoring Nathalie Joachim in NYC.

• May 3rd, 2024: Premiere of Flippin’s newly commissioned work, Wrecked, for guitar orchestra. Commissioned by the New York City Classical Guitar Society with support from the Augustine Foundation.

• March 16th: Ben Verdery performs Flippin’s Nocturne for People Who Can’t Sleep @ Seattle Classical Guitar Society.

• March 2nd-3rd: Peabody Conservatory FretFest. Premiere of Flippin’s commissioned work for guitar orchestra, Childhood, featuring Manuel Barrueco’s guitar studio ensemble and preparatory students and faculty.

• February 15-17: Flippin’s String Quartet performed by students for Minnesota Music Educator’s Association Midwinter Convention. Featured by American Composers Forum.

• February 23rd: Flippin’s String Quartet performed by Juilliard students & the Ivalas Quartet as part of a Juilliard showcase @ Chelsea Factory, NYC 7:30 p.m. Featured in WNYC interview with Arun Venugopal and a Gothamist article.

• Feb. 21-23: Virginia —Duo Noire @ Tidewater Classical Guitar Series.

• February 29th: Ben Verdery performs Flippin’s Nocturne for People Who Can’t Sleep @ Northern Illinois University.

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