Thomas Cimarusti, Ph.D.

Biography

A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Thomas M. Cimarusti received his Ph.D. at Florida State University and is currently a Professor of Music History and Program Leader for the B.A. Music degree at Florida Gulf Coast University. His research interests include 18th- and 19th-century Italian opera and song, chamber music, and the music of communal utopias and presented his research at conferences in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Tom is also an avid accordion player, having studied since the age of 9 with legendary accordionist Mr. Dick Contino and has performed with the Tallahassee Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, and for university events. In 2018 he founded the Center for Public Musicology (CPM), an institution that promotes community engagement through private and public lectures, opera excursions, and ensemble instruction. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants and excellence in teaching awards. He lives in Naples, FL with his wife Christy and two boys, Paul and Christopher.

Areas of Expertise (13)

symphonic literature

Music and animation

World Music

Musical theater

Popular Music

Beethoven

Music

Opera

Beatles

Jewish identity and culture

Sondheim

Musical Performances

women in music

Accomplishments (5)

MVP Regonition: Excellence in Teaching (FGCU) (personal)

Award

Seidler Research Award (FGCU) (personal)

Award

American Musicological Society Career Development Grant (professional)

Grant

Hemphill Wells Professor Excellence in Teaching Award (TTU) (personal)

Award

President's Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Engagement Award (TTU) (personal)

Award

Education (3)

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL: Ph.D., Musicology 2007

Dissertation: The Songs of Luigi Gordigiani (1806-1860): ‘lo Schuberto Italiano’.

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL: Early Music Certificate 2007

Area: Music of the Moravian Church

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL: World Music Certificate 2002

Area: Folk Music of Southern Italy

Affiliations (9)

• Artis-Naples
• Opera Naples
• Newberry Library (Chicago)
• Collier County Library
• Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning
• Florida International University Lifelong Learning
• Myerberg Institute for Lifelong Learning (Baltimore, MD)
• Jewish Cultural Centers in Fort Myers, Naples, and Boca Raton
• Shell Point Retirement Community

Links (1)

• Center for Public Musicology

Languages (1)

• English

Selected Event Appearances (4)

"The Bard of Broadway": Sondheim and the Reinvention of Musical Theater

Speaking Presentation  Connie Brown Hall (Tibbey Arts Center, Fort Myers, FL)

The Musical Paintbrush: From Impressionism to Surrealism

Public Lecture  Artis-Naples (Naples, FL)

Music, the Holocaust, and the Will to Survive

Public Lecture  FAU/FIU (Boca Raton/Miami, FL)

Beethoven: The Music, The Man, The Myth

Virtual Public Lecture  Newberry Library (Chicago, IL)