Henry Tomasi (1901-1971) was a French composer and conductor. He was born in Marseilles to parents of Corsican descent. He participated in piano and theory lessons from a young age, eventually leading to a scholarship to the Paris Conservatory, where he studied with Philippe Gaubert and other prominent French composers. To make money, he played piano in movie houses, developing a love for theater. In 1925, he won the Prix Halphen for his wind quintet, and in 1927, he won the Prix de Rome in conducting, with a second prize in composition. 

After he graduated from the conservatory, Tomasi worked as a conductor at the Concerts du Journal and the newly formed Radio Colonial Orchestra, where he became a proponent of radiophonic music. He won the Grand Prix du Disque for hsi recording of Gluck’s Orfeo with mezzo-soprano Alice Raveau. He was also an active conductor during this time. Furthermore, Tomasi was one of the founders of the Parisian contemporary music group Triton, which was made up of leading composers such as Poulenc, Prokofiev, Honegger, and Milhaud. 

After a brief stint as the head of a military marching band during World War II, Tomasi became the conductor of the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française. During the 1940s, his career as a conductor took off; he also became the music director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and made guest appearances throughout France and Europe. As a composer, he initially felt strong ties to the church, but eventually became so disillusioned after the war that he lost faith in religion and focused on secular works. Though he wrote many orchestral works, he wrote mainly for wind instruments when composing for smaller ensembles or soloists. His most popular work is his trumpet concerto. However, he never lost his love for theater, and he wrote many successful operas and ballets, including Don Juan de Mañara and L’Atlantide. Though sometimes dissonant with unique harmonies, Tomasi’s works are characterized by their lyricism and broad array of influences. Tomasi died in 1971 in Paris after a storied career.