PROFILE

THOMAS CHARLES MARSHALL

Thomas Charles Marshall was born in Ireland in 1972. He started his musical training on the piano at an early age. At ten, he won a scholarship to the Royal Irish Academy of Music and studied piano with Deirdre Doyle and flute with Doris Keogh. He entered the Schola Cantorum, St. Finian's College, Mullingar, Co.Westmeath, at thirteen and began learning the organ with Shane Brennan. He continued his piano studies with Mabel Swainson and later Padraic O'Cuinneagain. In his Leaving Certificate he was placed first in Ireland in Music.

In 1991, he became Organ Scholar at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and read music. He continued his organ studies with Peter Hurford.

After graduation, he moved to Japan and began working in Yoshii Town, Gunma Prefecture as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) on the JET programme. He started the Shakuhachi with Wakabayashi Shundo in September 1994, and Satsumabiwa with Yoshinori Fumon in December 1994.

In October 1997, he accompanied Yoshinori Fumon on his tour of England and Ireland, giving lectures and presentations at Cambridge University, SOAS, University College Dublin, and the World Music Centre.

He gave a presentation at the ICTM Hiroshima meeting in 1999 along with Yoshinori Fumon and Hugh de Ferranti.

In October 2000, he accompanied Yoshinori Fumon to the United States, giving presentations at University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and Columbia University New York.

In July 2001, he played at the "Messaien au Pays de la Meije" festival in France along with percussionist Azami Keiji, Shakuhachi player Uesugi Kodo, Satsumabiwa players Morizono Shijo and Matsuda Keijo.

In May 2003, he was invited to play in "The Melody of Japan", a concert organised by The Agency for Cultural Affairs.

In August 2003, he lectured and played at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW. Australia.

He was accepted as a member of the Japanese International League of Artists in November, 2003.

In September 2004, he accompanied Professor Komoda Haruko, Motohashi Tadashi, Kiyokawa Noriko on a tour of the United States, demonstrating and lecturing at New York's Columbia University and USC in Los Angeles.

He traveled to Korea with Morizono Shijoo(Satsumabiwa), Fujimaki Eiichi(Chikuzenbiwa), Yamazaki Reiko(Satsumabiwa), Kitamura Kunihiro(Satsumabiwa), Yoneda Kiya(Chikuzenbiwa) to play at the Korean National University of Arts in Seoul, and in the 2005 Yeongam Wang-In Culture Festival.

In August 2005, with the aim of further increasing knowledge of the biwa in the UK and Ireland, he joined his sister Triona (touring Irish harpist with the Chieftains) to play at St. Mark's Unitarian Church during Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Dunmase Theatre in Port laoise and the Midland Arts Centre in Kinnegad.  

In August 2006, he joined his sister again for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, performing once more at St Mark's Unitarian Church and also at the National Concert Hall, John Field Room as part of the ESB Beo Festival.

On October 1st 2006, he both presented and performed at the MSA (Musicological Society of Australia) 2006 Conference.

In April 2007, he became lecturer and instructor of Satsumabiwa at the University of Creation: Art, Music & Social Welfare, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture.