Thom Avella is a saxophonist, composer-arranger and educator. A Long Island native, Avella has called Upstate New York home since 2022. A graduate of both the Crane School of Music and William Paterson University, they are a seasoned performer in the worlds of jazz, classical music, pop and musical theater, on stage and in the studio. Avella placed third in the 2018 North American Saxophone Alliance Collegiate Jazz Competition, and they were a fellow at the 2022 Ravinia Steans Music Institute’s Program for Jazz.
Avella first rose to prominence in the Capital District as a member of Joe Barna’s Sketches of Influence, performing throughout the Upstate area and elsewhere with some of the finest jazz musicians in the state of New York. Avella is the leader of TA + 2, a trio featuring bassist Jason Emmond and drummer Nick Anderson which interprets Avella’s compositions alongside a host of songs from throughout the history of jazz and popular music; TA + 2 is at the center of a jazz residency curated by Avella at MoJo’s Cafe & Gallery in Troy.
