Thomas Pulford

Tom Pulford is an award-winning saxophonist, composer and arranger. After completing a Bachelor of Music majoring in jazz performance in 1998, Tom went on to become a much sought-after saxophonist and instrumental teacher, and has performed in many varied ensembles both in Australia and abroad. In 2003, Tom won the Barossa Valley Winemakers’ Association Jazz Scholarship, which enabled him to travel to the USA and study saxophone with Vincent Herring and Rich Perry. Tom has been engaged as a freelance saxophonist and woodwind specialist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and other orchestras and musical theatre productions, most recently the 2016 Adelaide season of Singin’ in the Rain. Significant musical collaborations include The Mike Stewart Big Band, The Adelaide Sax Pack, Mark Ferguson’s Marmalade Circus, and The Mulder-Pulford Nonet, a project Tom co-leads with Melbourne trombonist Nick Mulder, and which features the two leaders’ compositions and arrangements. Through collaborations with these and other ensembles, Tom has performed alongside such jazz luminaries as Bob Mintzer, Ray Vega, George Garzone, Jon Gordon, Jamie Oehlers, and James Muller to name a few, as well as backing a list of renowned entertainers including Bernadette Peters, Olivia Newton-John, Natalie Cole, Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton-Callaway, Rhonda Burchmore, Tom Burlinson, Kate Ceberano, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Michael Bolton.  Since 2012, Tom now works as a full-time musician in The Band of the South Australia Police, as well as continuing freelance work as a performer, educator, composer and arranger.