Kornel Thomas
The 2025–2026 season marks the beginning of Hungarian-American conductor Kornel Thomas’s tenure as the new Artistic Director and Conductor of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra. A multi award-winning conductor and composer, Thomas is passionate about invigorating audiences through the power and immediacy of live classical music.
Thomas has worked around the globe with numerous ensembles including the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok, Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, MAV Symphony Orchestra, Miskolc Symphony Orchestra, Szent István Philharmonic, Alba Regia Symphony Orchestra, Duna Symphony Orchestra, Nice Philharmonic Orchestra, Argovia Philharmonic, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Teplice, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is set to make his debut with the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra in 2025 and was recently appointed Artistic Director and Conductor of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra. In 2021, he made his debut with the Hungarian State Opera and Ballet conducting Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Gluck’s Don Juan, and Lully’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, and has been a recurring guest ever since then. Thomas was assistant conductor of Savaria Symphony Orchestra from 2017-2020.
He won 2nd prize at the 2018 Opera Nice Conducting Competition including two special prizes and third prize at the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conductors Competition.
As a composer he has won the 4th Lawson-May Award for composition at the Solent Music Festival, the 2024 International Clarinet Association New Music Composition Competition Solo Category award, 2nd Prize in composition at the 2023 5th Zodiac International Music Competition, 2nd Prize at the 2022 Bartok World Competition in Composition, and two awards at the 2020 MUPA Composers Competition. His works have been premiered at institutions such as Palace of the Arts Budapest, Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest Music Center, Ithaca College, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Kutztown University, multiple International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest events, and Ördögkatlan Festival.
Thomas studied conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and composition at the St. Stephen King Music Conservatory Budapest.
“Kornel Thomas led the small orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera…with an accomplished and fresh sound” Das Opernglass
“We found his (Thomas’) writing so compelling and convincing, generating so much tension but also the space to reflect of his important environmental message about the disappearance of coral reefs.” Solent Music Festival