Tom Swafford Quartet / John McDonald

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Tom Swafford Quartet / John McDonald Sunday, November 15, 2026 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 15:00 17:30 The Lilypad 1353 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA, 02139 (map) Google Calendar ICS $15 admission / 3pm doors / 3:30 show / seated / all ages Composer/violinist Tom Swafford presents a set of his solo piano compositions performed by John McDonald. The second set will feature Tom, violin, Brian Price, clarinet and saxophone, Nate McBride, bass, and Curt Newton, drums, performing improvisations based on selected themes and motives from those pieces. The concert will include a set of piano variations on Joann’s Green Satin Dress by Butch Morris, which the improvisors will interpret as well. Tom played in series of a large ensemble performances led by the esteemed conductor and composer Butch Morris in the fall of 2011. In that series, Morris incorporated his notated works into his practice of Conduction™ (conducted improvisation). This is an inspiration for today’s concert. John McDonald recently retired after 36 years as composition professor at Tufts University. John was a great inspiration for Tom, who studied with him at Tufts from 1991-1995. In addition to composition instruction, John co-led the NME (New Music Ensemble), which was Tom’s first exposure to free improvisation. Tom has been involved in free improv along with his fully notated composition work since that time. Prior to Tufts, Tom studied jazz piano and played in his high school jazz ensemble in Seattle. The jazz tradition continues to be an important factor in his compositional approach. Another fun fact is that Tom and Nate McBride played in the band in a Seattle Children’s Theatre production in the late 1980s, when Tom was in 8th grade and Nate was in high school! Tom is excited to once again collaborate with John, Nate, and this group of excellent Boston area improvisors. John McDonald Recently described as “the New England master of the short piece,” John McDonald is a composer who tries to play the piano and a pianist who tries to compose. He was Director of Graduate Music Studies and Professor of Music at Tufts University, where he taught composition, theory, and performance. His output concentrates on vocal, chamber, and solo instrumental works, and includes interdisciplinary experiments. Before coming to Tufts in 1990, he taught at Boston University, Longy School of Music, M.I.T., and the Rivers Conservatory. He has served as Chair of the Music Department at Tufts University, as an Artistic Ambassador to Asia, and is on the advisory board of Worldwide Concurrent Premieres, Inc., and other cultural and academic organizations. He was the Music Teachers National Association Composer of the Year in 2007 and served as the Valentine Visiting Professor of Music at Amherst College in 2016-2017. johndmcdonaldmusic.com Tom Swafford Tom Swafford (b. 1972) grew up in Seattle and lived in Boston, The Bay Area, and Amsterdam before moving to New York in 2007. He is now based in Providence, RI. He has presented many concerts of his music at New York venues including Roulette Intermedium and The Stone. His 11-piece ensemble String Power released its debut album in 2015 and performs regularly in the Providence area. Tom continues to be active as a composer and violinist in a wide variety of genres. His composition teachers include John McDonald, Olly Wilson (Ph.D. U.C. Berkeley, 2002) and Louis Andriessen (post graduate study). He teaches at Roger Williams University and Rhode Island College. tomswafford.com @swafford.tom on instagram Double-click to edit... Posted in Classical , Jazz