Thomas Priest serves as Director of Music Education and Bassoon Studies at Weber State University. He serves as Principal Bassoonist with Chamber Orchestra Ogden and is in demand as a freelancer in Northern Utah.

He served as Chair of the Department of Performing Arts at Weber State from 2010 to 2020. He previously served as Principal Bassoonist with the Jerusalem Symphony and Co-Principal Bassoonist with the Santiago Philharmonic.

As a composer, he has published works for bassoon and piano (“Running the Green”) and bassoon and marimba. “Running the Green” can be heard on streaming platforms; the bassoon and marimba pieces will soon be released.

His work as a researcher, teacher, performer, and composer continues to inform his professional
practice. Dr. Priest has actively pursued a research agenda that examines how individuals may function creatively as performers, listeners, improvisers, and composers, leading to refereed articles in the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Psychology of Music, and the Music Educators Journal.

When he is not bassooning, he enjoys hiking, swimming, camping, biking, and geocaching. He lives in Ogden with his life partner, Diana.