Jensen L. Thomassie is a percussionist, educator, and internationally performed composer based in Columbia, South Carolina. Thomassie is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Percussion Performance at the University of South Carolina under the study of Scott Herring where he also serves as the Carolina Band Drumline Graduate Assistant. Thomassie holds a Bachelor's degree in Percussion Performance and Music Composition from Furman University where he studied percussion under Omar Carmenates and Justin Watt and composition under Mark Kilstofte, Peter B. Kay, and Jay Bocook.
As a composer, Thomassie’s catalog includes over 30 works for percussion ensemble, wind ensemble, orchestra, clarinet quartet, brass quintet, voice, string quartet, electronics, and more. His music has been performed across the United States, as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Hungary, and South Korea, and he is regularly commissioned by artists and ensembles including What Is Noise new music ensemble.
As a performer, Thomassie has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention twice with the Furman University Percussion Ensemble, first in the new music research session in 2019, as well as performing as one of the winners of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition in 2022. As a member of the University of South Carolina Percussion Ensemble, he is set to perform at the convention in 2024 for a third time, his second IPEC win. Thomassie regularly performs as a section percussionist with the Poinsett Wind Symphony and substitutes with the Aiken Symphony.
An active member of the pageantry arts, Thomassie has marched with Music City Drum Corps, the Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, the Furman University Paladin Regiment, and the New Orleans Saints Drumline, where he also served as a music writer and arranger. Thomassie has previously served as Director of Percussion at J.L. Mann High School, where he won a state championship in CWEA Percussion Scholastic Novice with the J.L. Mann Indoor Percussion Ensemble. Thomassie also freelances as a percussion arranger and sound designer for multiple programs in the Southeast, including Blue Ridge H.S., Eastside H.S., Greer H.S., Hillcrest H.S., J.L. Mann H.S., Liberty H.S., Northgate H.S., and Woodmont H.S.
As a composer, Thomassie’s catalog includes over 30 works for percussion ensemble, wind ensemble, orchestra, clarinet quartet, brass quintet, voice, string quartet, electronics, and more. His music has been performed across the United States, as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Hungary, and South Korea, and he is regularly commissioned by artists and ensembles including What Is Noise new music ensemble.
As a performer, Thomassie has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention twice with the Furman University Percussion Ensemble, first in the new music research session in 2019, as well as performing as one of the winners of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition in 2022. As a member of the University of South Carolina Percussion Ensemble, he is set to perform at the convention in 2024 for a third time, his second IPEC win. Thomassie regularly performs as a section percussionist with the Poinsett Wind Symphony and substitutes with the Aiken Symphony.
An active member of the pageantry arts, Thomassie has marched with Music City Drum Corps, the Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, the Furman University Paladin Regiment, and the New Orleans Saints Drumline, where he also served as a music writer and arranger. Thomassie has previously served as Director of Percussion at J.L. Mann High School, where he won a state championship in CWEA Percussion Scholastic Novice with the J.L. Mann Indoor Percussion Ensemble. Thomassie also freelances as a percussion arranger and sound designer for multiple programs in the Southeast, including Blue Ridge H.S., Eastside H.S., Greer H.S., Hillcrest H.S., J.L. Mann H.S., Liberty H.S., Northgate H.S., and Woodmont H.S.
