The Music Thief

Thomas Wheeler (b. 1995) is a guitar performer, arranger, and pedagogue, who has appeared in concerts with critically acclaimed guitarists including Jiji Kim and The Romero Quartet. Thomas has created many original compositions and arrangements. He has several original baroque transcriptions of music originally for lute which are the first of their kind, including Silvius Weiss’ Suite no. 7. Dubbed “The Planet Master” by Maestra Jiji, Thomas spent 3 years creating and recording the world’s first guitar arrangement of Gustav Holst’s The Planets Suite, a project that OCU Guitar Director Stephen Lochbaum calls “a significant contribution to the guitar repertoire, along the lines of the famous Kazuhito Yamashita.”

Thomas Wheeler has a Master’s degree in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy with Jiji Kim at Arizona State University, and has a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Oklahoma City University. He began playing guitar at age 15 with the Lone Star High School guitar program. His passion for guitar was cultivated by Christina Wagner, until he was accepted to OCU, where he studied primarily with the Guitar Foundation of America Education Director Matthew Denman. There he also studied with Kyle Patterson, Dr. Lynn McGrath, and Brian Belanus. Thomas has attended the Celedonio Romero Guitar Institute five times, where he studied with Lito, Celin, and Pepe Romero.

I will never turn away a serious student because they lack the finances. It makes me so happy to see students succeed, and the longer they stay in my lessons the higher they achieve. Also, because I really focus on playing the music you bring in to the lesson, I get to enjoy playing fresh new songs with all of you every day!