Thomas Kraines, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, has gained renown as a versatile cellist, composer, and teacher. He performs around the world as the cellist of the Daedalus Quartet, and a member of a duo with his wife, violinist Juliette Kang. He also plays with the Philadelphia-based Network for New Music, and the Philadelphia free jazz ensemble Great Blue Heron.
 
Kraines’ solo cello and chamber compositions have been heard around the country. He has performed his own works in collaboration with Awadagin Pratt, Mimi Stillman, Maria Jette, Wayman Chin, and the English Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Woods. In February, he premiered his most recent work, Fool’s Gold, with the clarinetist Mike Watson at the University of Pennsylvania.
 
As a member of the Daedalus Quartet, Kraines has recorded the music of Joan Tower (String Quartet No. 5 and Dumbarton Quintet), Brian Buch, Vivian Fung, Fred Lerdahl, and George Perle. He can also be heard on the recordings of music by Lori Laitman and Bernard Rands, both for Albany Records; John Musto, with Music from Copland House; and Shulamit Ran, with the Peabody Trio. His recent recording of Fred Lerdahl’s solo cello piece, There and Back Again, will soon be released by Bridge Records on its next volume of Lerdahl’s music.
 
Kraines has served on the faculty of the Longy School of Music, Princeton University, Peabody Conservatory, Phillips Academy Andover, and Yellow Barn. He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He has performed chamber music at the Moab Music Festival, Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto, Italy), Bravo! Vail, Caramoor Summer Music Festival, Next Generation Festival, Portland Chamber Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Bard Music Festival.
 
Kraines studied cello with Frederic Raimi, Orlando Cole, and Joel Krosnick, and composition with Tom Benjamin. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Juliette, and daughters Rosalie and Clarissa.