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BioJensen L. Thomassie (b. 2001) is a percussionist and composer currently based in Greenville, South Carolina. Thomassie is currently an undergraduate student at Furman University pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition and Percussion Performance. He has 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 brass quintet, percussion ensemble, wind ensemble, clarinet quartet, voice and piano, string quartet, guitar, and more. His music has been performed across the world in the United States, Argentina, and Brazil, and South Korea. As a performer, Thomassie has played under Ret. Col. John R. Bourgeois, David Holsinger, Sue Samuels, Serena Weren, Jay Bocook, and Steven D. Davis. He 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. 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. Along with arranging marching percussion for multiple band programs in the Upstate area, Thomassie currently serves as the Percussion Director at J.L. Mann High School in Greenville, SC, where he oversees all aspects of the percussion curriculum, including marching band, indoor percussion, and percussion ensemble. |
