Thomas Dirks
Thomas received his first piano lessons from the piano tuner at the age
of six. At eight he also took up the clarinet and five years later the
alto saxophone. Attracted by a chance offer he acquired a bass guitar at
fourteen. Drawing inspiration from Mark King and Stanley Clarke, he began
to take matters seriously. He started bass lessons at the preparatory
school of Twente conservatory, and two years later he was admitted
to the professional training. A master class thought by bassist
Gary Karr was one of the incentives that finaly made him decide
upon the classical education. He went to the Royal Conservatory in
The Hague, where he studied with Knut Guettler and Quirijn van
Regteren Alteno.
During the long summer of 1988 he once more took up the saxophone and in the next four years he found himself not only standing behind the bass, but also among the horn section of the Leiden funk and soul band Capital Swing. Before graduating from the Royal Conservatory in 1991 as a performing musician, he played in various student orchestras, harmony and symphony orchestras, a big band, a jazz octet a dixieland band, and Jurai Stanik's jazz quartet. After having obtained his bass certificate he played with, among others, the Randstedelijk Accompanying Orchestra, the Delta Ensemble, the Dutch Ballet Orchestra, and the Metropole Orchestra, and the musical theatre group Baboing. Thomas' activities cover a broad musical field.
During the long summer of 1988 he once more took up the saxophone and in the next four years he found himself not only standing behind the bass, but also among the horn section of the Leiden funk and soul band Capital Swing. Before graduating from the Royal Conservatory in 1991 as a performing musician, he played in various student orchestras, harmony and symphony orchestras, a big band, a jazz octet a dixieland band, and Jurai Stanik's jazz quartet. After having obtained his bass certificate he played with, among others, the Randstedelijk Accompanying Orchestra, the Delta Ensemble, the Dutch Ballet Orchestra, and the Metropole Orchestra, and the musical theatre group Baboing. Thomas' activities cover a broad musical field.