Recently appointed as Musical Director for London City Orchestra and a former conductor on the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Thomas Payne was on the music staff for both ballet and opera productions at Covent Garden and abroad, conducting the ROH Orchestra and touring with The Royal Ballet to Japan. Recent performances have included Bluebeard’s Castle (Gothic Opera); The Rape of Lucretia (Opera Asteria); and Sāvitri (HGO).

Thomas was Chorus Master for Longborough Festival Opera for Fidelio, Tristan und Isolde and Der fliegende Holländer to critical acclaim. In 2019 he was Assistant Conductor for Grange Park Opera for Don Carlo and will be returning to assist on Otello and La Gioconda in 2022. As a ballet conductor Thomas was recently invited to conduct for both Scottish Ballet in Swan Lake and Northern Ballet’s Cinderella. For The Royal Ballet he was cover conductor for The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake,  among many other works.

Thomas has been fortunate to have had masterclasses with some of the world’s leading conductors (including Sir Antonio Pappano, Edward Gardner, Barry Wordsworth  and Steuart Bedford). He has also recently assisted Lee Reynolds with the  Philharmonia Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.