The music of Thomas Kotcheff, a native of Los Angeles, has been described as “truly beautiful and inspired” (icareifyoulisten.com) and “explosive” (Gramophone magazine), and his music has been performed internationally by The Riot Ensemble, Sandbox Percussion, Trio Appassionata, the Argus Quartet, USC Thornton Edge, HOCKET, and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. Kotcheff has received awards and honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Presser Foundation, the Aspen Summer Music Festival, BMI, the National Association of Composers USA, the American Composers Forum, and has been a composition fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s National Composers Intensive, Aspen Summer Music Festival and School, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Bennington Chamber Music Conference. He holds degrees in composition and piano performance from the Peabody Institute and the University of Southern California, where he is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music in composition.

As a new music pianist, Thomas has dedicated himself to commissioning and premiering new piano works. Kotcheff is a founding member of the new music piano duo HOCKET and is the pianist in What’s Next? Ensemble and The University of Southern California’s Thornton Edge. He has additionally performed with The Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and the Riot Ensemble in London, UK and collaborated with members of eighth blackbird and The Bang on a Can All Stars.