Thomas Simaku (known also as Thoma Simaku (born 1958), is an Albanian composer.
Simaku was born in Albania in 1958 and studied between 1978-1982 at the Academy of Music and Arts of Albania under Tonin Harapi. After graduation he was nominated as Director of Music at the Palace of Culture of Permet, in southern Albania.[1]
In 1991 Simaku moved to England to study for a PhD in composition with David Blake at the University of York, which he was awarded in 1996.
Notable prizes and awards that Simaku has won include:
Simaku's music has been performed throughout the UK and Europe, as well as in North America, Australia and the Far East. In 1995 his work "Epitaph" for String Orchestra was selected by the International Jury for the ISCM World Music Days in Germany - the first ever Albanian music to be included in this prestigious festival. Subsequently Simaku's works have been selected by the International Jury at the World Music Days of 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
Other international festivals where his music has been performed include Music Biennale Zagreb, Tanglewood, Avignon, Miami, Cagliari, KlangSpectrum (Austria), Viitasaari (Finland), Innsbruck (Austria), Odense (Denmark), Manchester, York, Birmingham, Automne de Tirana amongst others.
Broadcasts of his music include those by Radio-France, BBC-Radio 3, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Austrian, Polish, Croatian, Danish, Portuguese, Hellenic, Swedish, Romanian, Swiss and Icelandic radio stations.
Performances of his works include, among others, those given by the Arditti Quartet, Kreutzer Quartet, English Northern Philharmonia, MusikFabrik, Slovenian Radio-Television Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra, Amsterdam New Music Ensemble, the New London Orchestra, Goldberg Ensemble, Tokyo Phonosphere Musicale, London's Kreutzer Quartet, Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, Rubinstein Quartet, Copenhagen Sinfonietta, Luxembourg Sinfonietta, Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Capricorn Ensemble, Norwegian Medieval Trio, Tyrolean Ensemble of New Music (TICOM), The Duke String Quartet, and Tirana Asmus Ensemble.
His solo works have been performed by the internationally acclaimed soloists such as Peter Skaervard-Sheppard, Rohan de Saram, Noriko Kawai, Ian Pace, Vania Lecuit and Laura Willcox.
Simaku's music is published in England by University of York Music Press and Emerson Edition. In 2000 he was granted British Citizenship and now lives in York with his wife and two daughters. Simaku is a Senior Lecturer in Composition at the University of York.