Thomas Jefferson Stacy, born on August 15, 1938 in Little Rock, Arkansas, was an American oboist and virtuoso of the English horn. He started his musical career playing piano, violin, and clarinet before focusing on the oboe and English horn. Stacy studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. In 1962, he joined the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra, later moving to the San Antonio Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. In 1972, Stacy became the principal English horn player for the New York Philharmonic, a role he held for nearly four decades, performing over 70 times as a soloist before retiring in 2010. He commissioned and premiered works by notable composers including Gunther Schuller, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Ned Rorem, Vincent Persichetti, and Bernard Hoffer. Stacy also taught at the Juilliard School and conducted masterclasses worldwide. He passed away on April 30, 2023, in Southampton, New York.
